Simoun Kindergarten
by DigiExpert
Summary: A collection of drabbles featuring the Sibyllae of Chor Tempest as kindergarteners. A new spin, and a lot of AU fun. The series explores the girls' personalities, likes and dislikes, as well as kindergartenizes some famous moments from the anime.
1. First Day: Teacher

**I have been working on this project for some time. It was meant to be posted in correlation with Summer of Simoun. Simoun Kindergarten is meant to be a collection of drabbles that focuses on the members of Chor Tempest as kindergarteners all in the same classroom. It's AU, and meant to be entertaining, playing on the girls' personalities and stories as young children. It's received wonderful feedback on LJ and now it can be posted here. I will be posting a drabble a day. Currently I have 66 finished and over 100 pages written**. **Timeline will be mentioned where applicable, but for the most part, I will post in the order these were written. What must come first is the "First Day" set, and so we begin with the teacher. Enjoy!**

**First Day: Teacher**

The teacher looked around the classroom. She'd spent the last week preparing for this day, and finally things seemed to be in order. The toys had been taken out of storage and cleaned up, as well as disinfected. Her lesson plans were written up, and she had prepared a variety of first day activities for her new students that would hopefully help them to adjust to being in the kindergarten classroom without their parents.

The students had already been to visit the classroom a few days prior. They had met her and gotten to see the room. Some of them had met other classmates, and some had simply stayed with their parents, who had to complete paperwork for the school. She herself had been busy checking to make sure all the forms were completed, and sharing bits of conversation with her students. They had all appeared ready for school, eager to be in her classroom.

It was inevitable that there might be some tears. Rarely had she had a class where at least one student became homesick. She wondered if this year would be different. She would begin the year with eleven girls. It was a pretty average class size. Many of the girls who came in each year would go on to train to become Sibyllae, and many tended to end up in the same Chor. It had always amazed her how often that had happened.

She herself remembered that time as a young priestess, praying to the skies and blessing the villagers, fulfilling her duties to Tempus Spatium. She had enjoyed her time as a priestess and the teachers she had had that she had decided to become a teacher in turn. She had taken on the youngest group, the youngest minds to shape into future priestesses. It wasn't always easy work, but she loved her work and she loved her students.

Shaking her head, she brought herself out of her daydream. The hallway was starting to buzz with chatter. Students were starting to arrive, and she knew that soon her first student would walk through the door with a parent in tow, looking nervous and excited all at once. The student was sometimes shy about leaving the parent, but once they started to play, they usually forgot all about that shyness.

The teacher walked into the hallway, taking a peek. She was about as excited to see her new students as they were to see her. The beginning of a new school year was always refreshing. She had had some time in the summer to de-stress, as well as to make new lesson plans and modify others. After all, she was always on the lookout for new ways to teach the kindergarten group, knowing she could do better than the previous year.

Back inside she went, unable to keep still for very long. As she turned toward the door, she saw one of her students, entering a bit behind her mother. The girl seemed ready to want to run. The teacher smiled and walked over to the pair, kneeling down so that she was eye to eye with the girl. She wanted to call the girl by her name, but she had forgotten it. After all that time she'd spent memorizing the class roster to faces at the meeting! No matter. She would ask the girl's name.

Yun. Yun was her name. As she helped settle Yun's nerves, she rose to speak to the girl's mother, smiling and answering the questions about pickup and dismissal. It wasn't long before the mother was satisfied. She handed over Yun's things, and then left. The teacher realized in her hurry that she'd forgotten to show Yun how to put away her things. She did it for the girl this time, finishing as another parent walked in. Another school year had begun.

**And so begins the craziness of Simoun Kindergarten. If you have any questions, let me know. Also, if you ever have any ideas for a drabble, let me know. I love getting ideas from others, and openly welcome them. Just let me know the character/s and the basic idea and I'll see what I can do. It's really helpful if you have a favorite character that I haven't given much love to!**


	2. First Day: Yun

**And so it begins. I felt the teacher going first fit much better, and after much thought, it really does. We'll start with the First Day drabbles and begin with Yun, since she was mentioned in the first one.**

**First Day: Yun**

Yun sat quietly at the breakfast table, eating her bowl of fruit. The only sound in the kitchen was the sound of her mother washing dishes. Yun plopped the last strawberry into her mouth and sipped the rest of the juice from the bowl. She took the bowl over to the sink, standing on tiptoe to push it into the soapy water.

"Thank you, Yun. Are you packed for school?"

Yun nodded. "Yes, momma."

"All right. Go get your bag while I finish up here. Then we'll walk to your school."

Yun walked toward her room to grab her backpack. Her room was quite simple in décor, and not much stood out, save for the large bookshelf along one wall. Yun shouldered her bag and then walked over to her bookshelf. She knew the classroom had a large library of books, and she was eager to read something new. However, she also didn't want to leave home without something of her own. She browsed her bookshelf, her fingers brushing against the spines of some of her favorites. She finally settled on one with a crimson cover, and the picture of Tempus Spatium on the front. She slipped the book into her bag and zipped it up once more.

"Yun!" called her mother. "Let's go, or we'll be late!"

"Coming!"

Yun entered the classroom behind her mother. She felt shy all of a sudden. Another woman came out of the room, kneeling down to Yun's level. "Welcome to our kindergarten class," stated the teacher, smiling warmly. "You're the first one here today. What's your name?"

"Yun."

"Well, Yun, you can find all kinds of things to do in our classroom. Why don't you go in and pick something? I'm sure the other girls will be here soon."

Yun nodded and smiled. She didn't care about any other center in the classroom except for the library center. She happily walked over, forgetting about the teacher and her mother. Her eyes wandered over the layout. Shelves upon shelves of books, and comfortable bean bag chairs to sit it met her eyes. It was just like home. She walked over to the book shelves, the covers of the books facing toward her. It was hard to decide what book to choose first.

Finally, Yun closed her eyes and reached out, grabbing a book at random. On the cover was a little girl with a paintbrush. Yun settled into one of the red bean bag chairs and cracked open the cover. She began to read the text, letting her mind wander and her imagination take over.

When Yun looked up again, the classroom was full of more girls. She wondered when the teacher would gather them all together. A soft crunching sound came from her left and she turned her head. Another girl had a small bag of chips, partially hidden by her jumper. The girl munched softly, careful to keep the noise down. This was strange to Yun. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"Eating a snack," replied the other girl softly.

"Why? Didn't you have breakfast?"

"Yes."

"Then why eat now?"

"I like chips," replied the girl, finishing off the rest of the bag. She crumpled it up, and tucked it back inside her jumper. The girl stood up. Yun saw that she was very small, and didn't look old enough to be in school.

"Are you supposed to be here?" she asked.

"Yes. Mommy brought me here."

"Girls! It's time to clean up and come sit on the circle rug!" called the teacher.

Yun stood up. She closed her book and tucked it under one arm. With her other, she held out her hand. "I'm Yun."

The other girl looked down at her hand, confused. Slowly, she reached out and gripped Yun's hand lightly. "Limone," she answered.

Yun placed her book back on the shelf and began walking to the rug. She turned when she noticed that Limone wasn't behind her. "Aren't you coming?" Limone toed the rug with her shoe. She didn't answer. Yun walked back and gently took her hand. "Come on," she urged again. This time, Limone followed.

**Okay so you're probably thinking Limone shouldn't be in the class no matter what. And you're right. But that's why it's AU. It's not meant to go on canon ages (which I am well aware of), but rather have the girls together. You'll find others appear that don't quite fit either, but yes, they're supposed to be there and yes, their ages are to be skewered. This is all meant to be fun, rather than super canon accurate as far as ages go.**


	3. First Day: Rodoreamon and Mamiina

**This is one of my favorite first day drabbles. Mamiina herself is a lot of fun to write as a kid, let alone her interactions with Rodoreamon.**

**First Day: Rodoreamon and Mamiina**

Rodoreamon skipped happily down the stairs, her backpack bouncing on her back. Today was the first day of school and she was excited to go. She wasn't sure about meeting new friends, but she would know at least one person in her class, so it wasn't going to be all that bad. As she reached the bottom of the steps, she saw another familiar face.

"Mamiina!" she exclaiming, jumping off the last step.

Mamiina, on the other hand, was not entirely pleased about the idea of going to school. She had her arms crossed and looked away when she saw Rodoreamon. She would rather stay here during the day and help the cooks in the kitchen. She didn't want to go to the place called school; it sounded so boring.

"Do I have to go to school?" she asked her father again for the umpteenth time.

Her father nervously twisted the cap he wore for gardening at times in his hands. "Yes, dear," he answered softly. "The Lord and Lady made special arrangements so that you could go to kindergarten with Rodoreamon. It's a great opportunity."

"I don't wanna go with her! I wanna stay home!"

"You don't want to go to school with me?" asked Rodoreamon softly, hurt at the remark.

"Mamiina!" hissed her father, noticing the Lord of the house coming into the room.

"Well it's true! I wanna stay home!" continued Mamiina, not caring who heard.

The Lord chuckled. "I was like that on my first day of school," he commented.

Mamiina's father bowed to him, and forced Mamiina to do the same. "I'm sorry for her behavior, my Lord. She doesn't understand the chance she has."

"It's all right. She's just a young child. Now, let's take these two to school. When we return, I'd like to discuss some new ideas for the central garden."

"Yes, sir."

The fathers walked a few paces behind their daughters. Rodoreamon clutched on to her favorite doll, having grabbed it before they walked out the door. She said she needed it for naptime. Mamiina had scowled at her.

"I can't believe you brought that thing. It's so ugly."

"It is not, Mamiina. It helps me sleep."

"Don't see how with that smile."

"You're not being very nice, Mamiina," replied Rodoreamon, frowning. She went quiet, hugging her doll tighter. She didn't say another word to Mamiina as they walked onto the school grounds. Mamiina would sneak peeks at her, unsure of how her friend felt. She felt bad about what she'd said, but she wasn't going to admit it right way.

Each girl found their cubby and put their things away while the fathers spoke with the teacher. Mamiina peeked over at Rodoreamon, who was stuffing her doll into her cubby.

"You can go on in and play girls. We'll start the morning after everyone has arrived," called the teacher.

Rodoreamon walked on ahead, forgetting about Mamiina. She went to the kitchen area, and began pulling out some of the dishes. She wanted to make a dinner for any other girl who would wander into the area. She turned the knob on the stove, pretending to heat it up. Then she went back to getting out all of the dishes.

Mamiina watched from the very edge of the kitchen, hands behind her back. She was hoping that Rodoreamon would notice her. She didn't know what to say, and Rodoreamon obviously wasn't going to turn around and notice. She sighed and gathered her courage. Crossing the room, she walked until she was right behind Rodoreamon. "Rodoreamon?" she called softly.

"I'm not talking to you," replied Rodoreamon, putting some vegetables into a pot.

"But—"

"Not talking to you."

"I'm sorry," Mamiina blurted.

Rodoreamon dropped the pan she had been stirring. She turned around. "What?"

"I'm sorry for calling your doll ugly. Please talk to me," mumbled Mamiina.

A smile crossed Rodoreamon's face. "You wanna play?"

"Can I help cook?"

"Sure!"


	4. First Day: Amuria

**Amuria, is in fact, rather interesting to write. And thus, you get your first kindergartenized famous anime moment.**

**First Day: Amuria**

"But what if they don't like me?" Amuria asked, shouldering her backpack. She looked up at her older sister.

"They will. You just have to be nice and ask them to play," answered her sister as she braided her long lavender hair, eyes focused on the mirror. "Are you sure you want to wear that to school?" she asked, gesturing to the clothing Amuria had picked out- a white blouse and blue shorts. Her feet were bare, but her sister knew that the tan sandals would complete the outfit.

"But it's my favorite!"

"You have pretty dresses. You should wear one of those."

"No way!" replied Amuria firmly.

"Suit yourself," shrugged her sister.

"Why did daddy have to move us here? I don't know anybody."

"Daddy's job made us move. Besides, how do you think I feel? I have to go to a new school. You're just starting school." She reached for a hair tie and tied off the braid. Standing, she smoothed the front of her dress. "Come on. Mom said I'm going to walk you."

"Okay."

The two girls headed down the busy dirt road. Amuria skipped a few steps ahead of her sister. She thought about her sister's advice, and decided to listen to it. Her sister had to know what she was talking about. She always had plenty of friends.

Amuria was one of the first ones in the classroom that morning. Her sister had quickly dropped her off, rushing off to find where she needed to go for her class. She was to be a 5th grader that year and was beginning to prepare for becoming a cadet at the temple. Amuria looked about the classroom, unsure of what to do. Then she saw the block center, and quickly rushed over. She'd build with the blocks until some more girls arrived.

She had a simple plan: ask the first girl to play that looked interesting. She was sure to make a friend that way. Happily, she began building a tower, always keeping an eye on the door. Finally, two girls walked through the door together. The one girl wore a dress the color of Amuria's hair, and the girl's hair was a pretty shade of pink. Amuria decided she would be the perfect girl to play with. She quickly moved to talk to them.

"Hey!" she called out, quickly grabbing their attention. It had worked. The two stopped. She introduced herself and told them to come play with her. They didn't seem to want to, but that didn't deter Amuria. She grabbed the girl by the hand and began to pull her toward the block center. She felt no resistance.

The girl asked about her friend, and Amuria looked at her for a moment. One friend would do, but she might as well have the other girl come along anyway. All she wanted to do was play blocks with the girl she was holding hands with. She offered the girl a smile.

Amuria settled down in the block center, and began teaching the girl how to properly stack the blocks. She didn't seem to know how to build with the blocks, which was strange. Didn't she have blocks to build with at home? No matter. Amuria didn't mind showing her how to build.

The time in the block center flew by. "And you know what she said?" asked Amuria.

"What?" asked Neviril.

"Don't put my hair ties in the soup!" Amuria giggled, and Neviril giggled with her. Telling about the pranks she pulled on her sister was fun.

Neviril reached up to add another block to their tower, which was already unstable. _Crash!_ Amuria watched her react with surprise and giggled at the look on her face. Neviril giggled back at her. "Let's build it again!" she said.

By the time the teacher called for cleanup, Amuria felt that she had made good friends with Neviril. She smiled to herself as both of them cleaned up the center, placing the blocks back on the shelf. Neviril turned to walk away and join the group on the circle rug. Amuria reached out and grabbed her hand. Neviril turned around, surprised.

"Play with me later, okay?"

"O…okay," agreed Neviril.

"It'll be fun. I really like playing with you," replied Amuria, smiling warmly.

"I like playing with you too," replied Neviril shyly.

"Will you sit with me?"

"Sure."

Amuria kept hold of Neviril's hand. Together they walked to the circle rug, and sat down with the rest of their classmates. Amuria let go of Neviril's hand reluctantly. She would have rather kept holding her hand, but sitting beside her would be just as fun. The other girl sat on Neviril's other side. Amuria realized that she'd disappeared while they were all playing; she hadn't even noticed. That was all right. She had Neviril to play with. The other girl didn't matter so much.


	5. First Day: Morinas

**Chibi Morinas is a fun little character, very curious and of course, likes to use her tools. Imagine having to be her parents! I'd be afraid to find out what it was she'd decided to fix or take apart.**

**First Day: Morinas**

"Morinas!" called the voice, anger tainting the edges.

Morinas winced. That didn't sound very good to her at all. She continued to shove things into her backpack for school, pretending she hadn't heard the voice to begin with. She reached for the tiny tool kit she always kept, a gift from her father. It was a very simple kit, but she'd used it for many projects.

"Morinas!" yelled the voice, louder and angrier. It also seemed closer this time as well.

Still ignoring the voice, Morinas grabbed her favorite toy, the Simoun replica. She held it up to the light, admiring its craftsmanship. She wanted to fly in one someday, especially after she saw the one in the sky a few months ago.

Her mother's head popped into her room, a scowl on her face. "Morinas! Did you take apart the sink again?"

"N-no?" tried Morinas, flashing her mother an innocent look.

"Don't try that with me, young lady. You know your father wouldn't do it; he doesn't know how."

"I might have unscrewed something," tried Morinas again, still going for the innocent look.

Her mother sighed. "Get your backpack…wait…what have you put in your backpack?"

"Stuff for school."

"Morinas, you're not taking your tool kit!" exclaimed her mother, going through the bag and pulling out the pouch. "I don't want to have that conversation with your teacher."

"Aww but mom!"

After a few more items were removed from Morinas's bag, her mother finally deemed her ready for school. They had walked the short distance to the school. Now, Morinas was hanging up her bag as her mother had words with the teacher. Morinas could imagine what she was saying, a worried look plastered on her mother's face as she explain Morinas's tendencies.

Morinas wandered into the classroom. She ignored the group of girls in the block center. She didn't feel much like building. Her eyes wandered to one of the tables, where a bucket of crayons sat, along with a stack of paper. It seemed as though it was for anyone to use. Well, it couldn't hurt. She sat down at the table, reaching for a crisp sheet of paper, and choosing a green crayon from the box.

She began sketching, taking the picture from her mind and transferring it to paper. By the time it was finished, she thought it was perfect. No one else might know what it is, but she would, and that was what mattered.

"What's that?" asked another girl, coming up behind her.

"Huh?" Morinas turned, coming face to face with a girl who had light orange pigtails on either side of her head, a red and white jumper her chosen outfit.

"What is it? It doesn't look like much."

"Can't you see? It's me. And I'm flying a Simoun."

"That's just a bunch of blobs!" answered the girl, shaking her head.

"It is not! See? Here's the Simoun, and here's me!"

"You made your head bigger than the Simoun," commented the girl, pointing out the flaw.

Morinas sighed in frustration and then grabbed a piece of paper. "You draw a Simoun then. Let's see how good you are at it!"

The girl took the paper and choose a blue crayon. She used her hands to cover her paper as she completed her sketch. Morinas waited patiently, trying to sneak a peak at the girl's picture. She couldn't see a thing.

In a few minutes, the girl removed her hands from around her sketch and slid her paper to Morinas. Morinas found she couldn't she a difference between the girl's picture and her own. "It looks just like mine," she replied.

"No it doesn't," retorted the girl, easily agitated.

"Yeah it does. You didn't do any better than me!"

The girl crossed her arms, snatching away her paper. "Hmph! Fine then!" She turned and walked away, crumpling up her paper. Morinas shrugged and grabbed another piece of paper. She set to drawing the pieces of the sink she'd disemboweled last night.


	6. First Day: Neviril

**Neviril's turn :) Now that you're getting a feel for the drabbles, if you ever have any suggestions for your favorite character, let me know. Just give me the character and a short sentence to describe the drabble in a review or PM and I'll do my best to try and write it. You will receive full credit for the idea. Enjoy!**

**First Day: Neviril**

She fumbled with the hem of her dress, nervous about what would happen that day. A new backpack sat by the door, stuffed with the things she might need. She heard loud footsteps behind her, and turned around. Her father walked toward the front door, adjusting the red scarf around his neck.

"Neviril, leave the hem of your dress alone. You'll mess it up before your first day of school."

"Sorry," Neviril replied softly.

"Go ahead and get your backpack and we'll be on our way. There's no need to be nervous. Paraietta is in your class so you do know someone."

Halconf walked behind his daughter, who had placed the simple tan backpack on her back. They exited the large home and began the walk toward the school Neviril would be attending until she became a cadet at the temple. It was a prestigious school for the families of those who would provide the future generations of Sibyllae. Of course, there were always a few exceptions.

As Neviril walked down the hallway, she kept her eyes straight ahead. No matter what, her father wanted her to act a certain way. Inside, she was confused by all she saw. There were so many older girls, and they all kept staring at her.

"Neviril!" called a voice behind her. "Neviril!"

Neviril turned and saw Paraietta waving to her, dressed in her favorite outfit. She walked with her mother down the hallway, but she broke away to catch up to Neviril.

Neviril smiled. "Paraietta! Nice to see you."

"We're finally big enough for school!"

"Yeah. I'm a little nervous though."

"It's okay, Neviril. I'll make sure you're okay."

The two girls walked into the classroom ahead of their parents. There weren't very many other girls there just yet. The teacher knelt down to their level. Neviril could smell the flowery perfume she wore under her white blouse and tan skirt. Their teacher would be a younger woman, with dirty blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. "Welcome, girls. Let's see. Who do we have here?"

"Neviril."

"Paraietta."

"It's nice to meet you both. Why don't you put your things in your cubbies?" The teacher gestured to the area behind her, which had a large area with shelf space on top and bottom. It was built to be at the girls' level. "The large space here is for your coat and bookbag, and anything you might bring for naptime. The shelf on top is for spare clothing and your lunchbox if you pack your lunch and the shelf on the bottom is for any class work you have." She then helped both girls to put their things away, and spoke to their parents before they left. "Now that we're all settled, why don't you go play until everyone else arrives?"

Neviril walked into the play area of the classroom. She'd been here before for a meet the teacher day, but not when all the other girls had been around. Currently, there were only two other girls in the room. One girl was in the library center with a book, and another was building with blocks. Neviril saw the dolls and the baby carriage, and headed for the kitchen center. Paraietta followed her friend.

The girl building blocks noticed the duo and stood, quickly intercepting the pair. She had lavender hair and wore a white t-shirt and blue shorts, sandals on her feet. "Hey!" she called, standing in front of them.

"Um..hello," replied Neviril. Paraietta said nothing as she watched the two, but crossed her arms instead.

"I'm Amuria. Come play with me, okay?"

"I'm Neviril. I was going to play with the dolls—"

Amuria grabbed Neviril's hand, pulling her toward the block center. Neviril did not resist. "Come on!"

"What about Paraietta?" asked Neviril.

It was as though Amuria noticed the other girl for the first time. She stopped pulling for a moment to look at Paraietta. "Oh…she can come too." Amuria resumed dragging Neviril along.

Once in the block center, Amuria plopped onto her knees, picking up where she left off. Neviril watched her for a few moments, having never really built with blocks before. Paraietta sat beside her and picked up a green block, turning it around and around in her hands.

"All you do is stack one on top of the other," explained Amuria. "And then you'll get a big tower. It's easy. Try it."

Neviril followed instructions. It wasn't long before she found herself giggling to Amuria's comments, and both girls burst out giggling when the tower fell over. Paraietta felt strange sitting there and watching. She stood, and began to walk away. Looking back once, she noticed that neither of the two girls noticed her leaving. She walked over to one of the tables and sat, pouting.

The tower collapsed for the third time that morning. Neviril had to admit that she'd helped make it fall, stacking more blocks on top than on the bottom. "You're really good at this," remarked Amuria.

"T-thanks," replied Neviril, blushing.

"Best friends?"

"Yes. Best friends."


	7. First Day: Limone

**Remember Yun's first day drabble? Here's the other side to it.**

**First Day: Limone**

She rolled over sleepily in her bed, clutching at the stuffed caterpillar with the big grin on its face. It was her favorite thing to sleep with, and was much like a security blanket to her. The sunlight streamed through the windows. She felt the bed move, and a hand gently shake her.

"Come on Limone. It's time to get up. You're going to school today, remember? You were so smart that they let you start early."

Limone squeezed her eyes shut tightly, hoping that it would convince her mother that she was still asleep and hadn't heard her. Her tactic failed as she felt herself picked up and sat on her mother's lap.

"You can't fool me, Limone. You're too silly." Her mother's voice became more firm. "Let's get you dressed and ready for school. I don't want you being late."

It wasn't long before Limone found herself waiting at the front door, a bookbag on her back. Her mother had packed it with things she might need, such as paper, pencils, flashcards, and more. Limone had no idea why her mother acted this way. She was much too young to understand the complexities or how smart she truly was. However, she was craving something.

Her mother had gone off to retrieve some piece of paper. Limone took this as her chance to raid the kitchen. Quickly, she entered the room, seeking out the snack cabinet. One glance inside told her that the cabinet had recently been restocked. With practiced ease, she opened her bag and began putting treats inside- bags of chips, chocolate covered candy sticks, candy bars, and more. It was more than enough to get her through. She could hear her mother's footsteps in the distance so she quickly ended her operation. By the time her mother returned, she was once more waiting patiently by the door.

"Now we're all set, Limone," remarked her mother as she opened the front door. Limone only nodded.

All the way to school she wished that she could get one of her snacks out of her bag. If she did though, her mother might notice and then take away all the other snacks too. She fought the urge, gripping her mother's hand tightly.

"Don't grip so hard, dear. It's not very polite."

Limone loosened her grip, still trying to fight the craving. She could picture the bags of chips and the candy, savoring each bite of the precious snacks. They were almost to school. She could wait just a bit longer.

Once Limone's mother left, Limone went straight for her bag. She pulled out the snack on top, which happened to be a bag of potato chips. She made quick work of opening the bag, having learned long ago the correct trick to get at the snack inside. She popped a chip into her mouth, savoring the taste as she wandered into the classroom.

There weren't very many girls in the classroom just yet, but she did see the girl in the library center. She walked over to see what the girl was doing, standing off to the left. The girl appeared to be reading, and Limone just wanted to watch, so she very quietly ate the chips.

The girl eventually noticed her, and asked strange questions. She seemed to think it was weird that Limone was eating chips in the morning. Limone saw nothing wrong with this; she actually did it quite often at home. The other girl finally introduced herself as Yun, and Limone returned the gesture, nervous now.

Limone heard the teacher call for them to go sit on the rug. Yun began to walk away, but stopped when she saw that Limone didn't follow her. Limone wasn't sure she wanted to go join the rest of the class just yet. However, Yun came back and took her hand, wanting to go to the rug together. Limone followed her, smiling to herself. Yun was so nice. Maybe kindergarten wouldn't be so bad. Perhaps there would be more sweets to eat!


	8. First Day: Floe

**I forgot to put this up this morning. I only just realized it. It would have been up this morning, but today I was making sure my screencaps post for episode 1 was good to go so I was sorta distracted. Anyway, it's time to see Floe's version of what happened with Morinas on the first day of school.**

**First Day: Floe**

The little girl skipped on the path, her backpack bouncing on her back. Her hair was parted into two thick pigtails that rested on either side of her head. She wore a red suspendered skirt and a white blouse with a tiny red bow. It was all her mother could do to keep up with her. "Slow down, Floe! I can't keep up with you!"

Floe stopped, turned around, and huffed. "Geez mom! You're so slow!"

"Or you're too fast," retorted her mother.

Floe crossed her arms and turned around. "Hurry up then. You're not _that_ old!"

Her mother, used to that kind of outburst, said nothing. It was better to stay quiet than to engage in an argument over age with a kindergartener. She tried another tactic instead. "Floe, aren't you excited about kindergarten? You'll get to meet so many new friends."

"Of course! It'll be fun!" Floe stopped along the path to pick a small dandelion. She twirled the yellow weed in her hand before turning around. "Here mommy. I picked it for you!" She held out the dandelion.

"Thank you, Floe. You're so sweet," replied her mother as she reached out to take the flower.

Once they arrived at school, Floe haphazardly tossed her things into her cubby before rushing into the classroom. Her mother stayed behind to talk with the teacher for a few moments. She knew that Floe would forget all about her being there. As Floe looked around, she noticed there were a few girls there. Some were playing with blocks, some were in the library center, and one was at the table with a big bucket of crayons. The girl was alone, so Floe decided to go over and talk with her.

As she stood behind the girl, who had gray hair, she took a look at her picture. She couldn't make out what it was, and decided to say so. The girl did not take too kindly to her words, but it wasn't her fault that the picture looked so horrible. The girl then challenged her to do better, and she gladly accepted. She took the piece of paper and feverishly drew, creating her own masterpiece. However, the girl said it looked just like the one she'd done. Floe felt insulted and walked away from the table, crumpling up her own paper and tossing it away.

She stopped by the teacher, who was standing alone at the door, waiting for more students. "Teacher, teacher!" she called, tugging on the teacher's dress.

The teacher looked down at her, smiling. "Yes?"

"That girl said my drawing was ugly!" claimed Floe. She pointed to Morinas.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

"Why did she say that?" asked the teacher.

"I don't know," replied Floe.

"Why don't we go see?" suggested the teacher, taking Floe by the hand.

The other girl looked up when the teacher came over with Floe. She then went back to coloring. Floe put a hand on her hip. The teacher merely sat at the table.

"Morinas? Floe said that you called her drawing ugly. Is that true?"

Morinas looked up. "No," she replied. "I was drawing and she said my drawing looked like blobs. So I told her to draw a picture just like it. It looked just like mine and I told her. She got mad and walked away."

"Is this true, Floe?"

"Maybe…" replied Floe, knowing that she was busted.

"Floe, we shouldn't make things up to get someone in trouble. It's not very nice to lie, and it hurts our friends' feelings. I know you want to make lots of friends in kindergarten, don't you?"

Floe nodded. "Uh-huh."

"Well, then we have to be nicer to them. Why don't you color with Morinas some more? Maybe you can talk about the things you like to do?"

"Okay," said Floe, sighing dramatically.

"Very good. I need to go greet another student, but I'll keep an eye on you two," stated the teacher as she stood up. She walked over to the door to greet another parent and student.

Floe sat down at the table, and rested her head on one of her hands. "Well, that didn't work," she mumbled.

"You wanna draw?" asked Morinas.

"Sure."

Morinas slid over a new piece of paper, and the crayon box. Floe chose a bright red crayon, and began drawing. Maybe Morinas wouldn't be such a bad friend to have after all.


	9. First Day: Paraietta

**Time to give the final POV for this particular trio of girls.**

**First Day: Paraietta**

She carefully pulled the outfit off the back of her chair, pulling the shirt on over her head. Next came the shorts, and finally the socks. She pulled the red tie from the back of the chair, waving it over her head as she rushed to the kitchen. "Papa, will you help me with my tie?" she asked.

Her father sat down the newspaper he'd been reading, folding it over. "Come here then, Paraietta," he instructed gently.

Paraietta walked closer, handing over her tie. Her father took it in his hands and gently placed it around her neck. "Do you like my outfit, papa?"

Her father chuckled. "You'll be the handsomest girl in your kindergarten class!"

Grinning, Paraietta replied, "Yeah, and I bet Neviril will like it too!"

"Of course she will. Let me guess. You're gonna keep her safe?"

"Yeah!"

"I'm sure her father will like hearing that." Paraietta's father finished knotting her tie. "There we go. Why don't you run off and get your backpack?"

"Okay!"

As Paraietta walked to school, she grinned to herself. She couldn't wait to see Neviril and play with her. They'd already promised each other to play house. It was Neviril's favorite game. It wasn't a favorite of Paraietta's, but she didn't mind. Neviril liked it and that was what mattered.

"Paraietta, mind the road," called her mother, walking a few steps behind her.

Paraietta broke into a grin when she spotted Neviril just ahead of her in the hall. She quickly got Neviril's attention, catching up to her. She knew it was going to be a good first day. How could it not?

As soon as she walked into the room, her mood changed. A lavender haired girl came over and introduced herself. She was confident and more interested in Neviril. She worked on convincing Neviril to join her in the block center, rather than go and play in the kitchen area. Paraietta could only watch as Neviril went with Amuria. Paraietta only followed because Neviril had asked if she could. Amuria had not seemed to care if she was there or not. Paraietta bunched her fists together, squeezing out her anger. She would go along with them, only for Neviril's sake.

She soon regretted letting herself tag along. She felt invisible. Not even Neviril noticed her sitting there she built blocks with Amuria. Who was this girl anyway? Paraietta found herself not liking her very much at all. After a few more minutes of being ignored, she'd had enough. She set down the block she'd been holding and stood slowly, waiting for either of the two to notice her. Neither did and so she turned, walking away from them.

Hoping to hear "Paraietta!" any moment, she walked slowly, expecting to have to turn around. She'd smile and then invite Neviril to join her in the kitchen, and not that other girl. Then the two of them would play house together, Paraietta taking on the role of the father as she always did. However, she didn't hear her name, and when she got to the tables, she turned and saw that Amuria and Neviril seemed lost in their own world. They didn't look her way, or even notice she was gone.

She plopped down at the table, resting her head on her hands. It wasn't fair. Neviril wasn't supposed to be playing with that girl. She watched the tower collapse and then saw Amuria comment to Neviril. The two stood and began gather their blocks.

"What's wrong?" asked a voice.

Paraietta turned her head, and saw the teacher sitting beside her. She looked away. "I lost my friend," she admitted.

The teacher looked across the room, noticing Neviril and Amuria together. "I don't think you lost her. I think she's made a new friend."

"But she's my friend. We were gonna play together."

"And you still will. Right now, she's meeting her new classmates. I bet you can find a new friend too."

"I don't want to," mumbled Paraietta.

The teacher did not press her any further. "All right," she stated, rising from her seat. "But trust me. Your friend hasn't forgotten you. I'm sure you'll play together again today."

She kept her head hidden as the teacher walked away. She didn't even want to watch Neviril anymore, but she had to make sure her friend was okay. She didn't trust Amuria. _I hope she doesn't make Neviril cry_ thought Paraietta as she watched the two rebuild their fallen tower.


	10. First Day: Kaimu and Alti

**Finally, we have Kaimu and Alti to finish up the round of first day fics. Next begins random drabbles.**

**First Day: Kaimu and Alti**

"Kaimu! Kaimu!"

Kaimu could hear Alti's shouts and footsteps long before she saw her sister in the doorway. She continued to shove the small teddy bear in her backpack, making sure it didn't wrinkle up the papers inside. She snapped the top closed just as Alti skipped to a stop outside of the door.

"Kaimu! Mommy says it's time to go!" shouted Alti. Her backpack was already on her back, but it was half zipped. The arm of a chocolate brown teddy bear peeked out.

"Your backpack is unzipped," commented Kaimu, calmly putting her bag on her back.

"Oh?" Alti pulled off her backpack, looking at it in surprise. "Teddy might have fallen out! You saved him, Nee-san!"

Kaimu rolled her eyes. "Of course." She didn't like starting school with her sister. Her sister acted like such a baby, and always followed her around.

Walking down the stairs slowly didn't waste too much time. In the distance, she saw Alti waiting eagerly for their mother to put on her shoes. One of the maids stood nearby, listening patiently to her mother's instructions.

"Ah, there you are, Kaimu. What a lovely outfit you chose," stated her mother softly.

Kaimu blushed, looking at the floor. She'd picked out her favorite dark green jumper, the one with a lighter green shirt underneath. "Thanks."

"Do you like my outfit, too, mommy?" asked Alti, going to stand by her sister. Alti had chosen a frilly pink dress. Kaimu knew it was one of her party dresses. She thought her mother would scold Alti for wearing such nice clothes to school, but her mother only smiled.

"Of course. You're all dressed up for school." She took hold of each girl's hand, and together the trio walked out the front door.

On the way to school, Alti happily chatted with their mom about all the things she saw. She'd go from talking about the birds to the flowers to the sky and back again. Kaimu was silent, wondering what she might do when she arrived at school. Perhaps she could get away from Alti. She didn't mind her sister, but she didn't always want to be with her. She couldn't even escape her in the big house they lived in; Alti always managed to find her.

As they walked in the door, they were greeted by the teacher. "Hello, girls. Welcome to kindergarten!" The teacher gave them a big smile, grinning from ear to ear. "You're the last two to arrive. Go ahead and put your things in your cubbies and we'll get the day started, all right?"

Both girls took the remaining two cubbies. Kaimu made sure her things were neatly placed away. Alti did the exact opposite, haphazardly throwing her things in her cubby. Their mother was speaking to the teacher. Kaimu sighed. "Alti, you can't throw your stuff in there!" she scolded.

"But I wanna go play," replied Alti.

"I'll help you put everything away correctly. You don't want to be a slob."

"Thank you, Kaimu!"

Once everything was neatly hung and Kaimu was satisfied, Alti ventured over to the edge of the cubbies, looking into the classroom. Kaimu gave their mother a hug before she left and then went to stand by her sister. "I thought you wanted to go play?"

"I do…but…I'm scared," whispered Alti.

"Why? We came here before. Remember? You drew that picture of the duck."

"I know…but mommy was with us then." Her voice started cracking and she sniffled.

Kaimu knew Alti was on the verge of tears. She reached out and took Alti's hand. She felt her sister grip her hand tightly in response. "Why don't we go in together, okay? I'll be with you and you'll be okay."

Alti sniffled, wiping at her nose. "O-okay," she agreed. "Thanks," she added.

Kaimu smiled at her sister and they walked into the classroom together. It was not long after that that the teacher called for them all to go sit on the big circle rug. Alti never left her side, sitting beside her happily. Kaimu knew there would be other chances for her to play by herself in the future. She just didn't want her sister to be upset on their first day.


	11. A Flower for Neviril

**Here's the thing. When I started doing these drabbles, I started off with introducing Aaeru and then later Dominura. I didn't go back and do first days drabbles until I was in the 40's and then I decided to do some that featured Amuria. What I think I'm going to do is try to find drabbles that don't mention Aaeru or Dominura and post them, but I don't want to post all the Neviril/Amuria ones right off either. I think I'll just let you know when the switch in time occurs. Anyway, my updates of other fics are gonna slow down some. I'm planning out a new longshot that I've had for months and trying to do my other fics too. So I'm still writing, it's just not being posted yet :)**

**A Flower for Neviril**

It was the brilliant pink coloring of the flower that first attracted her eye. She didn't usually care for flowers. They were too delicate, and didn't last very long. However, she knew someone who might enjoy the flower more than herself. She gently tugged at the stem, detaching it from the earth. She twirled it in her fingers, satisfied when the petals didn't fly off. She'd have to carry it to school; it certainly wouldn't last long in her bookbag.

"Amuria, what do you have there?" asked her sister, glancing down.

"A flower I picked."

"Why are you picking flowers?"

"I'm gonna give it to a friend."

"As long as you aren't going to ground it up again. I don't think mom would be too pleased to find pink stains on your clothes."

"I'm not!" Amuria made a face at her sister, sticking out her tongue. Her sister rolled her eyes, ignoring the chance to argue with a kindergartener.

Amuria carefully set the flower on one of the shelves in her cubby while she put her bag away. She peeked into the classroom, searching for Neviril. She frowned when she didn't see the familiar head of pink hair. She also didn't see the other girl that was always near Neviril, Para-something. The name was too hard to pronounce sometimes. It didn't matter.

"Who are you looking for?" asked a voice behind her.

Amuria quickly turned around, recognizing the voice. "Y-you!" she replied nervous, hiding the flower.

"Me? Why?"

Paraietta stood at Neviril's side, clearly annoyed with the conversation. She rocked back and forth on her heels for a few moments, then decided it was better to leave. "I'm gonna go play with the blocks, Neviril," she stated, turning and entering the classroom.

Amuria was glad that Paraietta didn't stay around. She felt weird talking to Neviril with the other girl right there. "I have something for you," stated Amuria, hand tightening around the small stem.

"What is it?" asked Neviril gently. She focused on Amuria, smiling softly.

Amuria pulled the flower out from behind and held it out. "Here," she said shyly.

Neviril took it from her, admiring the petals. "It's really pretty."

"I saw it on the way to school and wanted to pick it for you. It's pink, like your hair."

"Thank you." Neviril turned the flower around in her hand.

"What a lovely flower," remarked the teacher, coming up behind the two. "Why don't we find something to put it in?"

The two girls followed their teacher to one of the large storage cabinets in the room. She rummaged through until she produced a small paper cup. "Amuria, why don't you go put a little bit of water in here? Fill it up to here." She made a mark with a small pen nearby.

Amuria left to go to the bathroom sink. The teacher knelt down to Neviril's level and touched the petals gently. "You have a good friend."

Neviril nodded. "Yes."

"Where would you like to place your flower?"

"In the window so it can be in the sun."

Amuria returned just then, carefully carrying the cup of water. She handed it to the teacher, who placed the flower inside. They all crossed the room to the window, where the teacher gently placed the cup. "There we go. You girls have fun. We'll make sure you take it home today, Neviril."

As the teacher walked away, Amuria turned to Neviril. "Wanna go play?"

"Can we play with the dolls?"

Amuria made a face, which didn't escape Neviril's eyes. She really wanted to play with Neviril, but she hated dolls. She wasn't allowed to have them at home, since she ended up taking them apart or destroying them. "Okay," she finally said.

"We don't have to," answered Neviril, her eyes reflecting sadness.

"No! Come on!" Amuria took her by the hand, guiding her to the kitchen area. "We'll play dolls together, okay?"

Nodding, Neviril agreed. "All right."


	12. My Best Toy

**This was one of the earlier drabbles I did, so it's not as long as some of the later ones. I still think it works well though, and I didn't want to really change it. Sorry this is a bit later today; I was out doing yard sales. I had forgotten to post it before I left. Enjoy!**

**My Best Toy**

"Who would like to go next?" asked the teacher. She looked around the circle of eager girls, each with their hands raised. She paused on Rodoreamon, who was sitting quietly, hand half raised. The teacher smiled at her. "Rodoreamon? Why don't you take your turn next?"

Rodoreamon quietly got to her feet and walked over to her cubby. She reached up, taking something off of the storage shelf. Returning to the circle, she cradled a doll in her arms, carefully holding it just as one might hold a real baby. The doll was dressed in a red velvet dress and had long, shiny black hair. "I brought my new doll to share. Daddy bought it for me on his last trip," she stated softly. One of the girls snickered in the circle, but Rodoreamon ignored it.

"What's your doll's name?" asked the teacher.

"She…she doesn't have a name yet. I haven't thought of one."

"That's stupid. Everything has a name!" called out Mamiina smugly.

"No, she doesn't."

The teacher tried to diffuse the situation. "What do you like to do with your doll?"

"I play with her a lot. We have tea parties with cookies. The cookies are always really warm and yummy."

"Have you ever made those cookies?" shot Mamiina.

"N-no," replied Rodoreamon, toeing the rug.

"I think that will wrap up our show and tell for today," interrupted the teacher. "Thank you for bringing your doll to share, Rodoreamon. I loved seeing her."

Later that day during free play, Rodoreamon played alone in the kitchen area. Her doll sat in a chair at the table, a plate and cup in front of her. Rodoreamon worked at the stove, pretending to stir a pot of food. She scooped some onto a plate and took it to the table. She stopped in her tracks when she noticed Mamiina watching her a few feet away.

"Can I play?" she asked quietly.

Rodoreamon smiled. "Yes. We were just having tea."

Mamiina sat at the table, and reached for the large white teapot. "More tea, Miss Doll?" she asked. She paused for a few moments as though waiting for an answer, and then pretended to pour the doll some tea. "Tea, Rodoreamon?"

"Yes, thank you."

Pouring the tea for both of them, Mamiina set the teapot back in the center of the table. The two girls spent the rest of free play drinking tea and caring for Miss Doll. Mamiina never teased Rodoreamon about her again.


	13. Lessons

**Time for a bit of a Limone one. Can you guess who appears at the end? :)**

**Lessons**

"Limone! It's time for you to go to your other class!" called the teacher.

Limone looked up from her book. She had been reading a fact book for children on Simouns. The flying ships fascinated her. The formations and the prayers that they could perform were awe-inspiring. With a sigh, she closed her book and rose from her seat. She returned the book to her cubby and went to the door, where a teacher stood, smiling softly. She reached for Limone's hand. "Good morning, Limone."

Limone quietly placed her hand in the teacher's. "Good morning," she replied softly.

The two of them walked down the empty hallway together. As a gifted kindergartener, Limone walked this hallway many times in a day. The older girls were intimidating, and she often watched them with wide-eyed wonder. She was quite tiny compared to them, moreso than with her classmates.

The teacher opened the door to a small classroom. It was set up to appear cozy. There was a round table with soft chairs, bean bags by the book shelves, and the room itself was a bright yellow. A window looked out on the playground. Gesturing to the table, where a variety of colored cubes lay, the teacher said, "Have a seat, Limone. We're going to work on your math today."

Limone climbed into the red chair, sinking into it. Her feet swung lightly, unable to touch the floor. She reached for a pile of the cubes. They were the kind that interconnected and Limone loved the sound they made when they snapped together.

"Why don't you make me some sticks of ten?" suggested the teacher, observing Limone.

Nodding, Limone began connecting the cubes, not speaking. All that could be heard was the _snap snap_ of the cubes. A pile began to form on the table, until Limone had made ten sticks. The teacher gently rested her hand on Limone's, which reached for more cubes. "I think we have enough to work with for today."

"Okay."

"Now, let's count how many cubes we have on the table. Counting by ones could take a long time, but I can count by tens." She began demonstrating. "Each of these sticks have ten cubes. So one stick is ten." She picked up a stick and set it aside. "Add another stick to it, and we have twenty." She picked up another stick and laid it beside the first. "Ten, twenty."

The lesson continued and Limone tried to learn this new way of counting. It was quicker than the way of counting she knew, but quite difficult. She wanted to please her teacher and do as she was asked. "Ten, twenty, for-…thir….um…" She scrunched up her face.

"Take your time."

"Ten, twenty, th…thirty!"

"Very good, Limone. We're out of time for today. Why don't you help me take the sticks apart before you return to class?"

Limone reached for some of the sticks. She began pulling them apart, listening to the pleasing _snap snap_ of the cubes. She placed the cubes back into the center of the table before climbing down from her chair. She pushed it back under the table before heading to the door.

She walked down the hall, looking down at the floor. She avoided the looks of the older girls. She would feel comfortable once she was back in the kindergarten room. Not watching where she was going, she bumped into someone coming out from a classroom.

"Hey, watch it!" called the girl, annoyed.

"S-sorry," replied Limone. She looked up at the older girl, noticing the deep red eyes and the short brown hair.

Calming down, the girl spoke again. "It's all right. You're one of the kindergartners, aren't you?" Limone nodded. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

"I'm going back. I was just down in my other classroom."

"The girl looked at her, confused at first. "Oh you mean the gifted room. Do you like it there?"

"Yes."

"Well, maybe I'll see you around." The girl turned and walked the way Limone had come. Limone watched her go before heading back to the kindergarten room. As she turned the knob to enter the room, she thought about the girl with the deep red eyes. She wasn't so scary.


	14. Tinkering

**This drabble is one of the shortest ones. It was part of the very first set I did as a test to see if anyone would be interested in seeing the Chor Tempest girls as kindergarteners. An expansion of this was done later on. I really think I'm going to introduce Aaeru soon... as I was looking through my drabble list today, there were a lot of other characters I wanted to post, but they mentioned Aaeru in some fashion, even in passing.**

**Tinkering**

The young girl sat off to the side on the playground. At her side was a tool kit, and in her hand was a small model. She hummed to herself, picking up a tool every now and then to make some adjustments. Slowly, she removed each piece, studying its position and purpose, memorizing its order in being placed together. Then she set it aside for later.

Limone noticed Morinas working diligently as she munched on a bag of chewy candy. She cocked her head, interested in the way the girl worked. She moved closer a few steps at a time, munching slowly. She stopped right behind Morinas.

Morinas glanced up when she had the feeling someone was behind her. She turned her head, and smiled when she saw Limone. She smiled. "Hi, Limone. Wanna join me?"

Limone nodded, settling herself cross legged. She looked more closely at each of the pieces, and then at Morinas, who was carefully pulling apart a round shape. "What's that?" she asked curiously.

Morinas held up the round shape. "This?" she replied.

"Uh huh."

"I don't know. It's neat though."

"You don't know what it is?"

"Nope. But I know this is a Simoun."

"Oooh…I've seen those in the sky!"

Nodding, Morinas said, "I'm gonna fly one someday."

"I… I will too," added Limone. "Do you want some candy?" she asked, holding out the bag.


	15. Bored

**Another early drabble, but I figured we could use some focus on Yun for now. And yes, the teaching method used is based on what is used in the classroom for a regular kindergarten class.**

**Bored**

"Tim looked for Puppy. Puppy was…"

Yun was only half listening as the teacher helped them read the little paper book. Everyone was seated at their table spot. Only Limone was missing; she went to another room for classes. Yun wished she could too. Or at least, she would rather be in the library center. The books there were more interesting. They also weren't this easy.

Instead, she was reading a small paper book and pointing to each word with her finger as it was read. The words were simple, and she was bored. She missed the challenge of figuring out new words and looking at the colorful pictures.

"Morinas, what is Tim doing?" asked the teacher.

"Looking for Puppy!"

"Very good. Now I want everyone to point to the word Puppy." Here the teacher paused, waiting for each of the girls to follow her direction. "Look how the first 'P' is capitalized. That's because Puppy is a name, and we always capitalize a name."

Class continued and Yun continued to half pay attention. The teacher continued with the book, pointing out the words and various nuances dealing with the book's layout. Yun was relieved when the teacher allowed them to put their books away in their work cubbies.

Yun couldn't be happier when it was time for free play. She looked carefully through the shelves, searching for a book that looked interesting. She finally selected a book with a large picture of a butterfly. She opened the book and smiled when she saw the pictures inside were just as colorful as the cover. Settling into one of the beanbag chairs, Yun flipped open the book, and began to read to herself. She soon lost herself in the book. She focused on the butterfly and its life cycle.

Before she knew it, free play was ending. The sounds of the rest of the girls cleaning up the classroom brought her back to reality. Sadly, she looked down at her book and then at the bookshelf. She rose to her feet, placing the book back on the shelf where it belonged. She then joined the rest of her classmates on the circle rug to end the day. She glanced back toward the library. Tomorrow would bring more reading of the silly paper books, but she'd also have a chance to spend more time in the library. There were plenty of books that she hadn't yet looked at or read. There was always something new to read.


	16. New Student

**This was actually the very first drabble I wrote and well, it introduces Aaeru. I'm sure you can figure out who she's arguing with at the end of it. It must be noted that Amuria is not in the picture any longer. There's a few drabbles that explain her disappearance that I'll post later on.**

**New Student**

"Girls, we have a new student today," called the teacher, a young woman with long blonde hair.

The group of girls crowded around their teacher, who had a new classmate for them to greet. She was dressed in an orange t-shirt with brown shorts, and had her straw blonde hair pulled into two tiny pigtails on the top of her head. A bandage covered her left cheek. She smiled confidently, not at all afraid to be in this new environment.

"Go ahead and introduce yourself," prompted the teacher gently.

"My name's Aaeru!" called the girl. She grinned. "Some day, I'm gonna visit a new world!"

"Oooh…" said the girls.

"That's stupid," called one girl, her navy hair in short pigtails.

"Nuh-uh," retorted Aaeru. "Grandpa said there is one."

"Has he ever been there?"

"No! But he says it's really cool!"

"Girls, let's try to be nicer," interrupted the teacher, trying to mediate before things got out of hand. Aaeru stuck her tongue out anyway. The girl did the same back. Aaeru put her fingers to each ear and blew a raspberry. The girl did the same. The teacher merely took each of them to a table for a cool down. While the teacher was busy with the rest of the class, the two gladly exchanged faces back and forth.


	17. Pepper

**I really wanted to try for a Mamiina focus today, but the one I had selected had mention of Dominura in it, so it will have to be used later on. This one makes a good choice though, and is also a focus on Rodoreamon as well. Mamiina's quite the trickster in the anime isn't she, substituting mouse in the stew! Let's see what her younger self is up to ;)**

**Pepper**

Mamiina looked around, making sure no one was nearby. They were washing up for lunch, and Mamiina had asked to put something into her cubby. Spying no one nearby, she reaching for her book bag, sticking her hand into the front pocket. She felt around until her hand clasped around a small object. She pulled it out, peeking to make sure it was what she was searching for. She grinned.

"What are you doing?" asked Rodoreamon, coming up behind her.

Mamiina quickly shoved the small container into her pocket. "Nothing," she replied.

"Why is your bag open?"

Mamiina looked at her bag, seeing the open pocket she hadn't had time to shut. "I don't know." Unconsciously she put her hand into her pocket, closing it around the container.

"What's in your pocket?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

Rodoreamon nodded. "Yeah. What's the secret?"

"I'm gonna put pepper in Aaeru's lunch."

"You're gonna get in trouble!"

Mamiina shook her head. "I will not! I won't get caught."

"Why Aaeru?"

"She's rude and loud, especially at lunch."

"Where's the pepper?" asked Rodoreamon.

Mamiina patted her pocket. "Right here."

"Rodoreamon! Mamiina! Please join our line," called the teacher. Mamiina put a finger to her lips, forcing Rodoreamon to be silent. Both girls joined the end of the line. They were right behind Aaeru.

Trays clanged noisily onto the tables as the girls settled in to eat. Lunch was simple—a burger with French fries and apple slices. Mamiina took a small bite of burger, biding her time. Next to her, Rodoreamon appeared nervous, barely touching her food.

The two didn't have to wait long before the perfect opportunity arose. Aaeru squeezed her ketchup packet wrong, and it squirted all over her orange shirt. She went to retrieve some napkins to clean her shirt with.

Quickly, Mamiina pulled the container from her pocket. Looking around, she watched for anyone paying attention to her. She lifted the bun and dumped the pepper onto Aaeru's burger. Then, she hid the container back in her pocket. She looked over at Rodoreamon, who was trying to hide a giggle.

When Aaeru returned, she suspected nothing. Mamiina was busy eating her apple slices. Rodoreamon was trying to hide her laughter behind French fries. Aaeru sat back down at the table, a large red smear on her shirt. That didn't seem to bother her. She sat back down and picked up her burger, taking a large bite. She chewed noisily, her face slowly distorting as she slowed her chewing.

"It's hot! It's hot!" shouted Aaeru. She reached for her milk carton and downed it, but she still looked around. "I need more!"

"Aaeru! What's going on?" asked the teacher, rushing over.

Aaeru pointed to her burger. The teacher looked at it, lifting the bun. She quickly noticed the pepper amongst the ketchup and mustard. "Where did all this pepper come from?"

"I don't know," replied Aaeru, shaking her head.

Rodoreamon was trying to hide her laughter still. The teacher caught on. "Rodoreamon, what happened here?"

"I…I don't know," she replied quietly, not wanting to be in trouble.

"What about you, Mamiina? Do you know?"

"No!"

"Come, Aaeru. Let's get you a new burger." The teacher led Aaeru away, first to get a drink, and then to get another burger to eat.

Rodoreamon and Maiina looked at each other and giggled behind their hands. The trick had been a success. "Told you," whispered Mamiina.

No one ever did figure out how the pepper got onto Aaeru's burger. Rodoreamon kept Mamiina's secret. Mamiina planned for her next trick. Aaeru quickly forgot about the incident, happy to worry about something else instead.


	18. Best Friends

**Another early drabble. I think tomorrow I'll show another Amuria/Neviril one just so you can compare the kindergarten dynamics between those two and between Aaeru and Neviril.**

**Best Friends**

Aaeru looked around the room, searching for something, or rather, someone. It was free play, and she didn't want to play by herself. Her eyes searched the room, until the settled on a quiet girl with pink hair, wearing a light purple dress to match. Many of her other classmates were already playing near the girl, some chattering with her. The pink haired girl smiled and laughed.

A soft munching noise beside her caused her to turn and look. Another classmate had joined her. The girl looked much younger than her peers, but no one noticed that. She had minty green hair, and munched on a bag of chips as her eyes studied the same scene Aaeru had.

"Who's that?" asked Aaeru, pointing.

"Hmm?" asked the girl, stopping mid-munch. "Oh that's Neviril. She's everybody's friend."

"She must be really nice."

"She is. She always shares her toys and helps you if you need it."

"I'm gonna be her best friend!" remarked Aaeru confidently.

The girl next to her ate a few more chips quietly. "But she'll be your friend anyway."

Aaeru did not hear what the girl said, promptly marching over to Neviril. She was set on her goal, and her face showed her determination. "Neviril! I'm gonna be your best friend!" she called rather loudly.

Neviril looked up, surprise written on her features. Before she could speak, another girl stood up in front of Neviril, sticking her arms out to keep Aaeru from getting closer. "Nuh uh! You can't!"

"Huh?" asked Aaeru. She had not expected this. She looked at the girl blocking her, with her short bright purple hair, khaki shorts, and blue shirt with tie.

"I said you can't!" she replied.

Aaeru looked beyond this girl. "Neviril! Be my best friend!" she called.

"You're not listening!" retorted the other girl.

"Shut up!" cried Aaeru, her tiny hands balling into fists.

With those words, the teacher interrupted the exchange, and gently guided Aaeru to take a cool down period. Aaeru sat in a chair away from the group, glaring at the girl who'd blocked her. Her teacher was speaking to her, but she wasn't listening.


	19. Stolen Kiss

**This one takes place when Amuria was still with the group...obviously XD**

**Stolen Kiss**

It was a beautiful day for outdoor science. The summer weather had started to cool some, so the air wasn't as hot. Yet, it wasn't jacket weather yet either. The kindergarten class was out on a nature walk, gathering objects around the edge of the forest behind the school. The teacher kept an eye on the girls, but allowed them to wander freely.

"What did you find?" Amuria asked Neviril, glancing into her own bag.

"Some different leaves, a rock, and this." She fished out a small brown shape, rounded at the tip."

"That's an acorn!" replied Amuria happily.

"What about you?"

"Some rocks and a stick. There's nothing cool out here."

Neviril giggled at Amuria's face. "I'm sure there is if we look for it."

Amuria took her hand. "Let's keep looking! I wanna find an egg or something."

After some time, the teacher called out to her students. "All right, girls. Come set your bags over here. When we get back in the classroom, we'll sort them and see what all of you found to share. Since you've done so well, we'll walk through one of the trails in the forest. Line up, please."

Amuria set her bag in the pile and got into line, right behind Neviril. They were the last girls to line up. Paraietta was just in front of them, having stayed away the entire time. She never was very far from Neviril, and she always gave Amuria a mean look when the teacher and Neviril weren't looking. Amuria didn't mind though. She was with Neviril.

The girls chattered happily as the teacher led them through one of the large winding trails that stayed close to the school. This was their first time in the forest, and they all looked around with eager eyes. The sunlight streamed through the trees, bespeckling everything with dancing shadows. As they continued, the girls became spread just a bit further out in line.

Amuria watched Neviril from behind, admiring how pretty she looked with the sunbeams. She grinned. "Hey, Neviril," she whispered, so as to try not to attract Paraietta's attention.

Neviril stopped and turned around to look at her. "Hmm?"

Amuria grabbed Neviril's hand and leaned forward, stealing a quick kiss. She chose to kiss Neviril's lips instead of her cheek, just as she'd seen her older sister do once before when she spied on her. She pulled away, grinning. Neviril only blushed madly.

"Amuria!" she whispered, surprised.

"You didn't like it?" asked Amuria, face starting to fall.

"I… no… yes…" Neviril stumbled over her words, a rare occasion.

Unbeknownst to them, Paraietta had witnessed the kiss. "Neviril! Are you all right?"

Neviril turned to her friend. "Yes. It's all right, Paraietta."

"Don't do that," called Paraietta, scolding Amuria.

"I can if I want!" argued Amuria, crossing her arms.

Paraietta took Neviril's hand. "Come on," she said, beginning to pull Neviril back to join their class.

Neviril looked back at Amuria, who looked about ready to cry. She reached out, and took Amuria's hand. "Come on," she said, smiling to Amuria.

"You mean it?"

"Yes. Paraietta will lead the way."

Once more, a smile spread across Amuria's face. She was even happier when she felt Neviril squeeze her hand. Kissing Neviril hadn't been a bad idea after all.


	20. Scaredy Cat

**I figured that using the honorifics in this case worked best. I usually don't use them, but with Kaimu and Alti, it's like a special case.**

**Scaredy Cat**

"Wait, Nee-san! Wait for me!" cried Alti from the bottom of the climber. She held tightly with both hands onto the red bar, the lowest rung, as she looked up at her sister.

Kaimu had already climbed up three rungs. She looked down at her sister, pausing in her climb. She frowned. "Stay down there!" she replied.

"But I wanna go up there with you, Nee-san!"

"No! You're a big scaredy cat!"

"I am not!"

"Are too! Remember last time?"

"I can do it, Nee-san!"

Kaimu climbed another rung, intent on ignoring her sister. The last time Alti had wanted to climb on the climber, Kaimu had relented, helping her sister to climb three rungs. At that point Alti had froze, feet firmly planted. She wouldn't climb down until the teacher had helped her down. Kaimu had decided she wouldn't let that happen again.

"Nee-san!"

She sat on the highest rung, facing away from her sister. Aaeru was nearby, hanging upside down. Her shirt had fallen to her arms, but she didn't seem to mind. "What's wrong with your sister?"

Kaimu sighed. "She wants to come up here, but she's a scaredy cat. She got stuck the last time."

"Ohhh," replied Aaeru.

"The teacher had to help her down. She wouldn't go back down herself."

Kaimu looked down. Her sister had gotten quite quiet. She didn't see her. Quickly, Kaimu scanned the area. Then, she noticed someone behind her. She turned herself around on the bars, and saw her sister halfway up the climber. "Alti!"

Alti looked up at her sister, fear in her eyes. She'd climbed higher than before, but could not bring herself to overcome the fear. "Nee-san…" she whispered.

"You shouldn't have climbed up here! I knew you'd get stuck!"

"I thought I could do it!"

"You can't. You're such a sissy."

Alti began to cry, big tears rolling down her cheeks. "I am not, stupid!"

Kaimu sighed and looked over at Aaeru, who still hung upside down. "Can you help me?"

Aaeru turned herself right side up. She and Kaimu stood on either side of Alti. Alti was still sniffling.

"Okay, Alti. Aaeru and I will help you down," explained Kaimu. Aaeru took one arm, and Kaimu took the other. Together, they helped Alti down the climber step by step.

Once on the ground, Alti hugged her sister tightly. "Thank you, Nee-san."

Kaimu looked away, trying not to show her embarrassment. "Don't… don't do it again if it scares you, okay?"

Alti only nodded, hugging her sister close. She was not ready for the climber just yet. Aaeru looked at the two, shrugged, and went back to hanging upside down.


	21. We All Fall Down

**I think I'm just going to start going in almost the exact same order as I wrote these now. There will be times when I'll add in some of the other Neviril/Amuria ones I have though.**

**We All Fall Down**

Recess was a favorite time of day for many of the girls, especially if it was a warm and sunny day. Aaeru was enjoying the fresh air; she didn't like always being cooped up inside. It had rained the past few days, and indoor recess was no fun. Now that the sun had come out and dried everything, the girls could go outside again.

Hands spread, Aaeru ran around the open play area. She held her face up to the sun, letting it warm her. She was going to visit her Grandpa after school, and he'd promised to take her fishing in the stream. She couldn't wait. She enjoyed attaching the wriggly worms to the hook most of all. They tickled her fingers and made her laugh.

She stopped suddenly, observing the playground. Most of the girls were paired off into groups of twos and threes, save for Yun, who was sitting beneath the large shade tree with a book in hand. She always had some picture book with her, constantly absorbed in the pictures. Aaeru had watched her one day, but had become bored quickly. Yun had acted as though she wasn't there.

Her eyes wandered and settled on the pair near the slide. Paraietta was watching Neviril go down the slide, taking turns with her. Aaeru wasn't too fond of her. She never let her get close enough to Neviril. Aaeru was still determined to be Neviril's best friend, but Paraietta always stopped her. Aaeru crossed her arms, mad just thinking about it. Then she had a great idea.

Once more, she stuck out her arms, and ran as fast as she could. She came closer and closer to the slide, smiling as she did so. She zoomed around the slide and a surprised Paraietta. She didn't stop, only continued to run in the grass nearby. She was so focused on showing Paraietta that she was having fun that she didn't see the small hole in the ground. Her foot caught in it and she fell forward, scraping her right knee and elbow.

Aaeru sat up, feeling the shoots of pain all at once. Her face scrunched up and she began to cry. She didn't want to cry in front of her friends, but she couldn't help it. The tears rolled down her face as she rubbed at her eyes. Someone touched her arm, which caused Aaeru to stop crying and look up. She found herself looking into Neviril's face, a gentle smile on her lips. "N-Nev..iril," hiccupped Aaeru.

"It's okay," the girl stated softly. She reached for Aaeru's hand. "We'll go to the nurse's office, okay?"

"O-okay." Aaeru took Neviril's hand and stood slowly. She wiped at her eyes with her other hand. She didn't want Neviril to see her cry.

Neviril only smiled. Together, the two of them headed for the nurse's office. Aaeru was calmed by Neviril's presence and soon her tears dried, leaving only a red, blotchy face behind. She was happy to know that Neviril didn't hate her. She was still going to be her best friend, regardless.


	22. Onions

**Onions**

It was lunchtime, and for some of the girls, it was a much looked forward to part of the day. The group of kindergarteners sat at one long table nearest the serving line. They were the first group to eat in the school. Each girl lined up and chose the kind of milk they wanted to drink. It was always a choice of chocolate or white milk. Then each waited patiently for her turn to scan her lunch card. After doing so, each took a tray, silverware, straw, and napkins before heading through the line to get their lunch. The cafeteria workers would greet them happily, giving them the various portions of their lunch. Today was a mixture of rice and vegetables, along with a frozen peach cup, and a roll. After being served, each girl sat at the long table, three to a small bench.

As the girls sat down and prepared to eat, the teacher would make her rounds, making sure milks were opened and that the chatter was kept to a minimum. Extensive chattering usually meant eating was not taking place, as well as the noise level would rise. Everyone dug in to their lunch, ignoring the first graders entering. Everyone, that is, except Yun.

Yun stared at her plate, her fork picking at the food there. She frowned. Slowly, she poised her fork over the offending piece and pulled it aside. Then, she looked again.

"Why aren't you eating, Yun?" asked Aaeru from across the table, chewing with her mouth open.

"Eeew! You're gross, Aaeru!" commented Rodoreamon.

Aaeru swallowed the food in her mouth. "What?"

"You shouldn't chew with your mouth open. It's not proper," answered Rodoreamon as she spooned a small amount of rice.

"But I always eat like this!" protested Aaeru. "Yun, why are you doing that?"

Yun looked down at the small pile on her tray and then back to Aaeru. "It has onions in it. I don't like onions," she stated quietly.

"The onions add flavor. You should eat them with the rice," interrupted Mamiina.

"I don't like them," Yun stated once more. She continued to pick the onions from her rice.

"I'll take them!" called Aaeru. "Gimme your onions!"

Yun pushed her plate toward Aaeru, who eagerly scooped the pile onto her tray. As soon as Aaeru was finished, she pulled her tray back toward herself. She scrutinized the dish, searching for more onion pieces. When she didn't see anymore, she put a tiny bit on her fork and took a bite.

"Tastes better with onions," commented Mamiina to no one in particular. Yun simply ignored her.

"Hey! I bet you I can eat all these onions at one time!" called Aaeru.

"You're being gross again, Aaeru," replied Rodoreamon as she daintily wiped her mouth.

Aaeru picked up her spoon and carefully scooped all the onions onto it until she had a large pile. She shoved the spoon in her mouth. "See? Told you!" she said through all the onions in her mouth. Some ended up flying back out, and sticking to Yun's cheeks.

Yun bunched her hands into fists. She held her breath and counted to ten. Then she calmly picked the onions off of her face. "I told you before. I hate onions." Then she picked up her fork and began to finish her meal. Aaeru spent the rest of lunch trying to get the strong onion taste out of her mouth with very little success.


	23. Snack Food

**I think it was writing this drabble that I realized I needed a layout for the tables. There are 3 tables and each table sits four of the girls. It was necessary to have one so I didn't randomly end up moving people around without meaning to. It created less confusion that way.**

**Snack Food**

Limone looked skeptically at the food placed in front of her. Her other classmates were happily munching away on the afternoon snack. Some even spoke of wanting seconds. Limone sighed. She poked at the apple slices on her plate and then poked at the crackers. Her finger pressed too hard, and the cracker split into pieces.

"Limone, please eat your snack," reminded the teacher as she made her rounds, placing a glass of apple juice in front of Limone.

Limone heard giggling from her left. "Aren't you hungry?" asked Floe.

"Not… not for apples and crackers." Limone continued to stare at the food as though it were poisoned.

"It's good for you," added Yun, munching on an apple slice.

"I'll take your crackers," suggested Morinas.

Limone began to push her plate toward Morinas, offering the crackers, but the teacher stopped her. "You need to eat your own snack, Limone," she reminded.

"But I don't like it. I want chips."

"Try it, all right? I think you'll be surprised." Limone looked up at the teacher, uncertainty written on her face. "If you don't try it, you won't know."

Looking from the teacher to the plate of snacks, Limone sighed. She reached out for an apple slice. Her teacher had said to try it, and she always did what the teacher said. Her mother had told her it was what she was expected to do. Slowly, she raised the slice of apple to her mouth, and then took the tiniest nibble from the edge. She then proceeded to chew it just as slowly, gauging the taste. It was sweet, like the cookies she enjoyed, but a different kind of sweet. It was kind of sour too. She took another bite, sampling the taste once more.

Her teacher patted her on the back. "That's it, Limone. Good for you!" Limone saw her teacher beaming, and knew she had done well.

Her teacher walked to another table, and Limone reached for one of the crackers. Again, she took a small nibble and munched on it slowly. It was a little salty with a buttery taste. It was like a chip, but not quite. She took another bite, considering the flavor again.

Morinas pouted when she saw Limone eating the crackers. Floe noticed. "It's okay, Morinas. You don't need a poofy face anyway. Then you'd look like this." She took in a big gulp of air and then puffed out her cheeks.

"I don't wanna look like you," retorted Morinas.

Floe stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry. Limone and Yun ignored the two, each munching on their own snacks. Every so often, one of them would glance at the two dueling it out. Morinas and Floe forgot about snack, each intending to outdo the other with raspberries.


	24. Ache

**Ache**

Aaeru curled up on the bean bag, content to stay in the library corner. She didn't feel like playing with the other girls, or chasing after Neviril. She didn't feel like doing anything but lay on the bean bag.

She turned her head at the sound of pages in a book being flipped. Yun sat opposite of her on a blue bean bag chair, looking at a picture book. Aaeru squinted at the cover. She saw a picture of a dog carrying a bone. There was a butterfly hovering next to the door, along with words that Aaeru didn't know yet.

Aaeru rolled over, looking up at the ceiling. Her teacher had told her she wasn't running a fever, and to take it easy. She'd been in the library center ever since. She heard the rustling of a bean bag, and saw that Yun was leaving out of the corner of her eye. She closed her eyes, attempting to fall asleep.

When she heard someone settling on the bean bag next to her, Aaeru didn't open her eyes. She wasn't interested anymore in who was surrounding her. She felt a hand on her forehead; it was nice and cool. Her mouth turned up into a small smile.

"Why are you all alone, Aaeru?" asked the familiar voice.

Aaeru opened her eyes, only to see Neviril looking down at her, concerned. She sat up. "N-Neviril…I don't feel so good," she admitted. "But the teacher says I don't have a fever so I have to stay at school."

"I hope you feel better."

"Me too. I hate feeling yucky."

Neviril crossed her arms and bowed her head. Aaeru watched, fascinated. She sat in awed silence, and did not disturb her. Moments later, Neviril raised her head.

"What did you do?" asked Aaeru.

"I said a prayer to Tempus Spatium for you."

"Tempus Spatium? What's that?"

"A divine being."

"Huh?"

Neviril smiled. "Never mind. Why don't you lay down?" she suggested, guesturing toward her lap. Aaeru looked at her, uncertainty on her face. Neviril only smiled. Aaeru laid back down, this time laying her head on Neviril's lap. It was soft and warm. She closed her eyes, and soon she had drifted off to sleep.

As Aaeru slept, Neviril kept an eye on her. The girl looked so peaceful, even though she didn't feel well. She gently touched Aaeru's hair. However, Morinas quickly interrupted the moment. She plopped onto her stomach in front of Neviril, resting her chin in her hands. "What's wrong with Aaeru?"

"She doesn't feel good," replied Neviril.

Morinas poked a finger into Aaeru's cheek. "She looks it." Aaeru shied away from the touch. "Don't you wanna play?"

Neviril shook her head. "I'm going to stay with Aaeru."

Shrugging, Morinas rose to her feet. "You're no fun," she commented as she walked off.


	25. Quit It!

**And now we go back a bit, to the beginning of the year at some point.**

**Quit It!**

Paraietta marched up to Amuria. She had had enough of being pushed aside. It didn't help that Neviril liked playing with Amuria more than she did Paraietta. Amuria sat at the table, drawing a picture. It was the right time to talk to her. Neviril had left early.

Amuria hummed to herself as she drew. She was drawing a picture of herself with Neviril. They were outside with a tree behind them. Amuria currently had a pink crayon, coloring in Neviril's hair carefully. She didn't notice Paraietta march up to her.

"Hey!" called Paraietta, getting Amuria's attention.

Amuria looked up from her drawing. "You wanna color too? There's paper here—"

Paraietta cut her off. "No, I don't want color. I want to play with Neviril."

"She left early though, remember? Right after lunch." Amuria was confused. Paraietta had seen Neviril leave.

"No. I want to play with her too. You're always playing with her."

"But she wants to play with me too."

"Why do you have to hog her?"

"I'm not! You can play with her too. You just stay away all the time!"

"That's 'cause you always take her away!" retorted Paraietta angrily.

"She chooses to come with me."

Paraietta leaned closer, looking Amuria in the eyes. Her gaze was intense, but Amuria gazed right back, engaging her in a staring contest. The two continued to look at each other, intent on winning the contest. Finally, Amuria broke her gaze and looked down at her paper. The picture of herself and Neviril together smiled back up at her. She looked back up at Paraietta. "I'm still gonna play with Neviril. She's my friend."

"She's my friend too. You should share."

"Why not let Neviril pick?"

"She's not a dog!"

"You're stupid. Go away." Amuria didn't feel like talking to Paraietta anymore. She reached for another crayon, a lighter purple that would match the lilac color of her hair. She began carefully coloring. She was surprised when Paraietta snatched the crayon from her hand. "Hey!"

Paraietta held the crayon above Amuria's head. "You're not listening to me!"

"Girls, stop this arguing! Paraietta, why would you take away her crayon?" asked the teacher, interfering.

Paraietta sat in the chair, head in her hands. Nearby, Amuria sat in a similar position. After getting each girl's story, the teacher decided they needed some time apart to think. She had talked to them about Neviril, and about both girls spending time with the girl. Paraietta didn't want to spend time with Neviril and share with Amuria. She wanted her friend back. At least Neviril had left early. Paraietta felt embarrassed, but it would have been worse if Neviril had seen it too. Maybe she'd be able to go play with Neviril after school.

Amuria looked over at Paraietta. She couldn't believe she'd gotten in trouble as well. All she'd done was color! Paraietta had been the one to take her crayon. She was glad Neviril wasn't around to see them both get in trouble. She didn't want Neviril to know. She didn't think Paraietta would tell her either. She looked over to the table where her picture still sat. She really wanted to finish coloring it in. She wanted to take it home and show it to her parents. Vaguely, she wondered if they'd let Neviril come over to play.


	26. Piece of Art

**This was actually shorter than this, but I went back and fixed it, adding in some more conflict and back and forth between the two. I think it works much better now.**

**Piece of Art**

Aaeru sat at the table, working on a picture. She hummed to herself, coloring with the fat green crayon. She was working really hard to make the grass in her picture. It took her some time to make it pointy, just the way she liked it.

"Ooooh! That's pretty!" commented another student, standing behind Aaeru with her hands behind her back.

Looking up, Aaeru saw a girl with two large pigtails. "I know! It's me and Grandpa." She pointed to her picture.

"Your Grandpa looks oooold." The girl put extra emphasis on the "old" part.

Aaeru became frustrated. "He is not! We play together all the time!" She looked back at her picture, finding a spot where she'd missed coloring the grass.

The girl crossed her arms. "Doesn't mean he's not old. You gave him white hair. That's old people hair."

"That doesn't make him old! He takes me fishing and stuff!"

"Eeww!"

"Why's it ew?"

"Cause you gotta put those worms on the hook. Worms are squishy and ick!"

"But they feel neat in your hands!" protested Aaeru.

"You're gross!"

"I am not! I like going fishing with my grandpa!"

The girl blew a raspberry. "That's not fun. You get all hot and icky and the worms."

"You're just jealous 'cause you can't go fishing with us," replied Aaeru, setting the green back in the crayon bucket and holding up her picture. Two smiling stick figures with clothes looked back up at her. "Finished!"

"I like it!" replied the girl happily, once more changing her tune. "It's really colorful."

Aaeru blinked, confused. "Thanks."

The girl leaned over and kissed her cheek. "I'm Floe. You're really nice." She skipped off, humming to herself.

Aaeru rubbed her cheek. "Yuck," she commented. She stood up and took her picture to her cubby, placing it inside. She couldn't wait to show her grandpa her latest drawing. Maybe he'd take her fishing too. Then they could have fried fish for dinner.


	27. Another New Student

**And now the current incarnation of Chor Tempest is complete!**

**Another New Student**

"Girls, we have another new student joining us today," called the teacher from her spot on the circle rug.

"Does that mean we can get rid of Aaeru?" asked Mamiina.

"Hey!"

"Now, now, Mamiina. That's not nice. We can't trade students for new ones." The teacher paused, waiting for a comment from either girl. "All right then. Girls, I want you to welcome Dominura to our class. She just moved here."

Dominura walked over from where she'd been standing at the open door. She wore a purple jumper with a white polo shirt beneath it. She had her arms crossed and looked around at her new classmates. Dominura would soon find out that she was the oldest in class, and also the tallest. Her birthday fell right after the cutoff date for first grade enrollment, but she didn't know that.

"Hi, Dominura!" called the girls in chorus.

"Why don't you tell us about yourself?" asked the teacher.

"I'm Dominura," said the new girl. "I like to go swimming."

"What's that like?" asked Limone. "I've never been swimming."

Dominura took a long look at this girl, who looked much younger than the others. "It's fun," she replied.

"But what's it really like?" persisted Limone.

Dominura sighed. "It's like taking a bath, only there's lots of water and you have to move your arms and legs to stay floating."

Limone's eyes grew wider. "Really?"

"Yes."

"I wanna go swimming."

Dominura looked around at the girls, who were all watching her. One girl had her hand in the air, waving it wildly back and forth. The girls on either side of her were making sure to stay well out of the way.

"Floe? You have a question?" asked the teacher.

Floe nodded. "Yeah!" To Dominura she said, "You're really tall. Are you supposed to be in kindergarten?"

"Floe! That's not very nice of you."

"But it's true!" protested Floe.

"My dad says I grow really quickly," answered Dominura quietly.

"So you're _sure_ you're supposed to be here?" asked Floe again.

"Yes."

"I think that's enough for our morning circle today, girls. You're free to choose a center to play in. Floe, I need you to stay with me."

The girls scattered to their favorite centers in the classroom. Floe stayed behind with the teacher, talking with her about what it means to ask appropriate questions, and what kind of questions aren't appropriate. Floe wasn't happy, believing she'd done nothing wrong. To her, it was only a question. In the mean time, Dominura began to explore her new environment, shyly watching the others. She looked at who paired up with who, and what they did together. She still wasn't quite sure about being in kindergarten, but perhaps things wouldn't be so bad.


	28. Silence

**This is the first part of a three part set of drabbles. This was actual a fun set to write, and it does take place pretty early after Aaeru is in the class. I've started doing some more SK drabbles in my free time, which is why I've not posted any new oneshots lately. I've currently finished 72 altogether, and am nearly finished the 73. 100 is my goal and it's coming closer and closer :D**

**Silence**

Aaeru tossed the red kick ball to Kaimu. Kaimu reached out and caught it with both hands. She then tossed it to Alti. Alti reached out, but the ball bounced on her wrist and rolled into the grass.

"Stupid ball," Alti remarked.

"Try it again, Alti. I'll throw it to you," suggested Kaimu. Alti tossed the ball back.

Kaimu threw the ball again, and this time Alti created a cradle with her hands. The ball landed in the cradle, and she pulled tightly, holding it close. "I caught it! I caught it!"

Kaimu smiled. "Good job, Alti."

Alti tossed the ball to Aaeru, who caught it easily. Aaeru tossed it to Kaimu. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Neviril sitting off to the side, alone underneath the large shade tree. It was unusual for Neviril to be alone at recess. "What's wrong with Neviril?"

Tossing the ball to her sister, Kaimu replied, "Don't know. She won't talk."

Alti missed the ball, and went to retrieve it. "She's been quiet all day," she replied when she brought the ball back.

Aaeru looked over at Neviril again, who was staring into the distance. "I'm gonna go talk to her."

"Aaeru, don't bother her," warned Kaimu.

"She likes to be alone sometimes," added Alti.

Not listening, Aaeru strided purposefully toward Neviril. She was less than ten feet away when Paraietta stepped in front of her. Aaeru tried to step around her, but Paraietta continued to block her progress. "Lemme through! I wanna talk to Neviril!"

Paraietta shook her head. "No. Neviril doesn't wanna talk to you."

"I wanna talk to Neviril!"

"No. Leave her alone!"

Aaeru pushed Paraietta, who fell onto her behind. Paraietta looked like she might cry, but she scrunched up her face and quickly stood up. She crossed her arms and glared at Aaeru. "That didn't hurt."

Balling her hands into fists, Aaeru tried to calm herself. "I just wanna see Neviril."

"Leave her alone. She doesn't wanna talk."

"She'll talk to me!"

"No she won't!"

Aaeru pushed Paraietta again, and Paraietta pushed back. The two began pushing back and forth, each not willing to give. They were quickly broken up by the teacher. "Aaeru! Paraietta! I'm ashamed of both of you."

Each girl glared at the other as the teacher took both of their hands and led them away from the rest of the girls. Aaeru stuck her tongue out at Paraietta, who did not dignify her action with a comeback.

"I want each of you to stand here for awhile to cool down, and then we'll talk about what happened. I'm watching each of you."


	29. Silence Part 2

**Silence, Part 2**

The day had been so nice that the teacher had taken the class out for a second recess before they went home for the day. Aaeru knew exactly what she planned to do. She searched the playground until she saw her objective. Aaeru took off running. "Neviril! Neviril!" she called.

Neviril looked up from her position underneath the tree. She saw Aaeru making a beeline for her and merely stood, seeking out a place to hide. She moved toward the playhouse. It was empty. Neviril slipped inside, and shut the plastic door behind her.

"Neviril! I wanna talk to you!" called Aaeru loudly.

Paraietta appeared from the side of the house. "She doesn't wanna talk. She really doesn't wanna talk to you."

"I can still talk to her," retorted Aaeru.

"She won't open the door for you," replied Paraietta, arms crossed. She leaned against the side of the playhouse.

Aaeru bunched up her fists and walked up to the door. She knocked none too gently. "Neviril! Neviril! I wanna talk to you." There was no answer from Neviril.

"Come on! Answer me!" Still no answer. Aaeru heard giggling from the side of the playhouse. "What's so funny?" she demanded. Paraietta only shook her head.

Looking at the house, Aaeru tried to find another way besides the front door. She noticed the windows on the side of the house were still open so she decided to move there instead. "Neviril!" she called.

Neviril looked up, seeing Aaeru through the open window. She pursed her lips and stood, shutting the windows. It became darker inside, but she didn't mind. Satisfied, she sat back down in the little plastic chair, content to stay away from everyone the rest of recess. Aaeru wouldn't get inside, no matter how determined she was. Plus, Paraietta would make sure she stayed away. She rested her elbows on her knees and her head in her hands.

Aaeru studied the playhouse some more. Neviril had shut the windows and the door was shut. Paraietta was on the other side so she couldn't go around to the door. That only left the window. Quietly, she walked over to the window and began trying to open it by sticking her fingers in the cracks. She tugged and pulled, her fingers tending to slip out. However, she was determined to open the window.

Paraietta wondered why Aaeru was so quietly all of a suddenly. She walked around to the front of the playhouse, and then she saw Aaeru just as Aaeru managed to pry open the window with her fingers. "Don't you—" she realized she was too late to do anything as Aaeru climbed in the playhouse through the window. She lowered her head. She hadn't been able to keep Aaeru from getting to Neviril. She leaned against the playhouse, sliding down the side. This simply would not do. Even though she'd tried her best, Aaeru had still found a way to get to Neviril. That girl was full of energy.


	30. Silence Part 3

**Last part to this set! Tomorrow, I'm gonna see about posting another Amuria/Neviril one!**

**Silence, Part 3**

She'd actually made it inside the playhouse before Paraietta had found out. Grinning, Aaeru gave Neviril the victory sign. Neviril could only look back at her in surprise. "You wouldn't talk, so I came to you," stated Aaeru. Neviril crossed her arms and looked away. "Why won't you talk?" She sat down on the floor and crossed her legs, looking up at Neviril.

Neviril glanced at Aaeru out of the corner of her eye. Aaeru only continued to watch her questioningly. "I don't want to talk," she whispered softly. "I don't feel like talking."

Aaeru cocked her head. "Are you sad?"

Neviril nodded. "Yes."

"Why are you sad? You should be happy. Isn't it fun to play outside?"

Neviril shook her head. "No."

"Why not?"

"I don't… wanna talk."

Aaeru moved closer. "You should talk. It's better than being sad."

"You don't give up."

"Nope!" Aaeru grinned.

"It was my turn for show and tell today and I forgot my picture."

"You can bring it tomorrow!"

"But I wanted to show it today."

"Today's almost over."

"The teacher wouldn't let me have daddy bring it."

"Bring it tomorrow then," said Aaeru. "What was on the picture?"

"Daddy when he was little. He used to fly Simoun."

"Cool! I wanna see!"

"I don't have the picture."

"Oh yeah," replied Aaeru sheepishly. "Can I see it tomorrow?"

Neviril nodded. "Yes."

"You shouldn't be sad about it. It's almost time to go home. Let's play!"

Neviril shook her head again, but Aaeru wasn't listening anymore. She stood and took Neviril by the hand. "C'mon!" she called as she pulled Neviril out the front door.

"Aaeru! Aaeru stop!" protested Neviril. Her protests fell on deaf ears.

Paraietta could only watch as her friend was dragged off by Aaeru. She began to chase after the two.

"You gotta run, Neviril!" Aaeru pulled Neviril along, running through the large open area. She giggled and laughed. Finally, she stopped short, but overstepped her balance. She tried to stay standing, but in the end, she fell on her behind. Neviril looked down at her, concerned that Aaeru might be hurt. Aaeru only burst into a fit of laughter. Her laughter was catchy; Neviril soon found herself covering her mouth with her hand to hide her own laughter.

"You're happy again," called Aaeru, pleased with herself. "C'mon, try and catch me!" She took off running, and Neviril gave chase. Paraietta stopped to catch her breath. She watched Aaeru and Neviril take turns being it. Aaeru had been able to cheer Neviril up after all.


	31. Jungle Gym Fears

**And we go back in time for a bit of Amuria and Neviril :)**

**Jungle Gym Fears**

Amuria looked down from the top of the jungle gym. She'd quickly scaled the equipment until she sat at the very top. Now, she looked out over the playground, watching her other classmates play nearby. No one else wanted to climb the jungle gym with her. She spotted playing inside of the large house. Paraietta was with her, and they were playing house together. Amuria sighed. Neviril had wanted to play with Paraietta. She wished she hadn't.

Flipping backward, she hung from her knees, viewing the world upside down. Her shirt slide down, and she used her hands to pull it back up. The world looked funny from her perspective. Her head felt warm, and she pulled herself back up to sit on the bar.

"Why are you all the way up there?" called a voice.

Amuria couldn't believe it. Neviril had been playing house just a minute ago. She looked down, and there stood Neviril, looking up at her. "I like being up here. You can see everything up here!"

"Is it really high?"

"Nah! You can see the whole playground though. Wanna come up?"

Neviril played with the hem of her dress, looking up at Amuria, and then back down at the ground. "No, that's all right," she whispered.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-yes." Neviril looked back down at the ground once more.

Climbing down, Amuria dropped beside her. "What's wrong?"

"I don't like being up high. It's too scary," admitted Neviril.

"I'll help you climb up. It's not that scary."

Neviril looked away. "I don't know."

Amuria took her hand. "Come on. I'll help you." She put her hand on the next rung up. "Just do what I do."

Slowly, Neviril copied Amuria's moves, and they made slow progress toward the top of the jungle gym. Amuria continued to encourage Neviril every time she became scared. Neviril always wanted to climb back down.

"I can't do it, Amuria," she stated once again.

"You're almost there, Neviril. Just one more bar."

"It's too high. Let's go back down."

Amuria shook her head. "Just try it." She climbed back down, and took Neviril's hand. Together, they climbed the last rung.

Neviril settled in beside Amuria as they shared the top bar. Amuria smiled at her, happy that she had climbed all the way to the top. "I told you you could do it," said Amuria.

"I know. You're right though. You can see the whole playground."

"Isn't it great? It's like being really close to the sky."

"Do you think you'll fly a Simoun when you get bigger?"

Amuria looked up to the sky. "Yeah! I wanna fly up there. I bet it's a lot of fun."

Laughing, Neviril replied, "I bet it is."

Taking Neviril's hand, Amuria looked over at her. "I bet we could fly together. Then we could both fly in the sky."

"Maybe." Neviril looked up at the sky, letting the wind blow her hair gently.

Below them, the whistle blew, signaling the end of recess. Reluctantly, both girls climbed down. Amuria made sure that Neviril carefully climbed down and didn't fall. Together, both girls hurried to join their class in line. As they grew, they might forget their talk, but the sky would not.


	32. Read Aloud

**Looking back over this a second time, it really cracks me up. Enjoy!**

**Read Aloud**

The new big book was Yun's goal during morning free play. She wanted to be the first to look at it. She sighed with relief when she saw the book still sitting on the shelf. She eagerly picked it up, plopping down on a pile of bean bag chairs. Yun settled in, flipping open the book.

"Hey cool!"

"I wanna look!"

Yun looked up. Aaeru and Morinas stood in front of her, eyeing the cover of the book she held with interest. "I'm not finished with it yet," Yun said politely. Aaeru and Morinas plopped down on either side of her as though they hadn't heard her.

"We could share," suggested Aaeru, who'd gotten in trouble that very morning for not sharing the ball during an activity.

"Please?" asked Morinas.

Yun sighed. "All right. I'll read the book to you. Sit in front of me."

"Are you gonna be the teacher?" asked Aaeru.

"It's so you can see the pictures," replied Yun.

Morinas dragged a beanbag chair and plopped in it. "Come on, Aaeru!" she urged.

Aaeru copied Morinas. "Ready!"

Yun looked at her two classmates, who looked back at her eagerly. She turned the book around and took a deep breath. "This is a Simoun. It runs on a…a… hel…helic…helical motor."

"It looks even better than the one I took apart!"

Yun continued. "A Simoun is fl…flown by two Sib…Sibyll…people." She pointed to an image of two Sibyllae activating the Simoun Gem. "They kiss each other, and then kiss the gem."

"Yuck," commented Aaeru. "That's gross."

"I'll kiss you, Aaeru," remarked Morinas, leaning in.

Aaeru leaned back. "Get away from me!" She held out her hands, intent on pushing Morinas away if she got too close.

Yun waited quietly for a few moments before speaking up. "If you don't want to listen to the story…" The two looked at her, and then rearranged themselves. They looked up at her expectantly. The Simoun starts up, and they can fly it. They can do Ri Majons, and pray to Tem…Tempus… Spa…Spatum." Yun stumbled over the harder words, mispronouncing them. She pointed to a picture. "This is the shark Ri Majon."

"Wow…"

"And this," said Yun as she turned the page, "is the Emerald Ri Majon."

"I wanna do that!" called Aaeru. "I wanna do a Ri Maj-thing."

"I'll fly with you!" called Morinas. She leaned over again. "Kiss me to make the gem work, Aaeru."

Aaeru pushed her away. "Get away from me!"

Yun watched as the two continued to squabble over flying a Simoun. Aaeru eventually stood and ran out of the center to escape Morinas, who was still trying to kiss her. Yun turned the book back around to face her. She looked at the pictures of the girls who flew the Simoun, and the Simoun themselves. She wanted to pray to the skies. Someday, she'd try to.


	33. Mouse

**Betcha didn't see this pair up coming... XD**

**Mouse**

The class worked quietly at their table spots, whispering to their classmates. Each girl had a large ball of clay in front of her, and she was free to shape it into whatever she wanted. The teacher walked around the room, monitoring the girls and speaking quietly with them about their progress.

Mamiina rolled her blue clay into small blue balls. She stacked the balls in a pile. Rodoreamon sat beside her, rolling snakes with her red clay. She would then fold the clay, making it into bracelets and necklaces. She focused on a particular piece of clay, pressing it with her fingers. Aaeru was building with her green clay, tongue peeking out the side of her mouth. She'd started with a round base, and then kept adding stick pieces of clay on top. Dominura used her yellow clay to make flower shapes. She pressed the clay against the table, creating a garden scene.

Other tables showed similar scenes. The girls were building and sculpting to their heart's content. The classroom was calm, without teasing or tricks. It was a rare moment for the class.

Neviril was the first to notice the small creature that peeked from behind the shelf nearby. She saw the twitching of its nose and then watched it creep from its hiding spot. "M-mouse!" she shouted, quickly alerting her classmates.

All of a sudden, the quiet peace was shattered as the girls stood up and danced about. Some, like Neviril, quickly stood on top of her chair. Others, like Paraietta, tried to protect their best friends. Paraietta stood in front of Neviril's chair in a defensive position. Her face gave away her fear. The only two not affected by the mouse were Aaeru and Mamiina. Aaeru continued to cluelessly add more sticks of clay to her creation. Mamiina, on the other hand, paused to watch her classmates scurry about in fear.

"Mamiina, aren't you scared?" asked Rodoreamon from atop her chair.

"No. It's just a mouse."

"Grandpa has lots of them at his house," added Aaeru. "I feed them all the time."

"Gross!"

"Is not! It's fun!"

"Girls, calm down. It's just a mouse," called the teacher over the din. In the noise, the mouse had scurried off, seeking some safe place.

Eventually, the classroom returned to some sort of normalcy. Clay projects were continued, and the mouse was not seen anymore that day. By the time the day ended, the girls had almost forgotten about the incident. Before she left, Mamiina spoke to the teacher, getting an approving nod.

The very next day, Mamiina brought a small cage to school. It was a special cage that would allow her to catch the mouse. She set it on the floor while putting the rest of the belongings in her cubby.

"What's that?" asked Rodoreamon as she hung up her coat.

"It's a mouse trap. I want to catch the mouse and put him outside."

"Will you have to touch him?"

"No. I just set up the cage and make sure the door works."

With the teacher's help, Mamiina set the trap for the mouse. At first, the cage caused quite an interest among the girls, but as the day wore on, less and less of them kept watch. A clang was heard during snack. Mamiina rushed to the cage, peeking inside. Her classmates weren't far behind. They stayed back a distance from the cage, and only Aaeru was brave enough to join Mamiina in looking closely at the mouse. Aaeru tried to stick her fingers between the bars to pet the mouse, but the teacher pulled her away.

"Why don't you take him outside, Mamiina? I'm sure he's scared," suggested the teacher.

"I will," replied Mamiina. She picked up the cage and carried it to the door.

"Can I go too?" asked Aaeru.

"Sure, Aaeru."

Mamiina and Aaeru went outside and traveled to the very edge of the playground. Mamiina set the cage down and opened the door. She stepped back, but Aaeru crouched down to watch the mouse more closely. He soon scampered from the cage and disappeared in the tall grass.

"That was really cool," Aaeru commented as Mamiina picked up the cage.

"It was," replied Mamiina, nodding her head and smiling.

"Wasn't it funny to see the others all scared?"

Again, Mamiina agreed. "Yeah!"

It was one of those rare moments that the two agreed on something. They smiled and laughed, recalling their classmates' reactions. There wasn't any tricks or teasing involved, only a simple mouse between friends.


	34. Applesauce Part 1

**I almost forgot today XD**

**Applesauce**

"Who would like to help me make applesauce?" asked the teacher one day during circle time. Each of the girls raised their hands. "Wonderful! I'll have you help me in small groups. You'll get to help me peel the apples, cut them…."

Mamiina began to tune the teacher out. She was excited to be able to help cook. She loved helping in the kitchens at Rodoreamon's home. The servants were more than happy to give her small chores and tasks in the kitchen to help with food preparation and kitchen cleanliness. It was better than helping her own parents in the garden. Flowers were so boring to work with. She'd rather be learning to make something. At least then she got to taste the food while she was working.

During free play, Mamiina impatiently waited for her turn to help the teacher. She was not one of the first girls to be called over. She watched from the block center, but found it very hard to see what was going on. She moved closer, standing near the table where the girls were working. Currently, Neviril, Paraietta, Alti, and Kaimu were helping to cut up apples. The teacher had decided to go by tables.

"Mamiina, please go play for now. I'll call you when it's your table's turn," the teacher reminded gently.

Huffing, Mamiina went back to the block center. She absently built up a small tower, not really paying attention. The tower often fell, and Mamiina would build it up again.

Finally, the teacher called her table. She joined Rodoreamon, Aaeru, and Dominura at the table where the teacher stood. "All right girls. It's your turn to help me make some applesauce today. Before we begin, does anyone know what we have to do first?"

That was easy. Mamiina raised her hand and the teacher called on her. "Wash our hands."

"Why?" asked Aaeru.

"You don't want to get germs on the food, Aaeru. You could make someone sick. We want to make sure our hands are clean first before we work with the food."

"Do we wash every time?" asked Dominura.

"Yes. Any time you work with food, you must wash your hands."

After the girls had washed up, the teacher showed them how the peeler worked. Mamiina was fascinated by it. The apple merely had to be placed inside and the device would take out the core and spin the apple to peel off the skin. The next step was cutting the apples. The teacher cut the apple into slices and then showed the girls how to use the plastic knife to cut small pieces.

Mamiina worked very carefully, making sure she had the right size pieces. She glanced beside her, noticing that Rodoreamon was having a hard time. She pressed very lightly with the knife, and barely cut any pieces. "You have to press harder," Mamiina said.

"Oh! I see," replied Rodoreamon. She pressed as hard as she could with her knife. A large chunk of apple flew, smacking Aaeru in the forehead.

"Hey!" called Aaeru as she pulled the piece from her forehead and then proceeded to eat it.

"Sorry!" apologized Rodoreamon.

"Not that hard," whispered Mamiina. She put her hands around Rodoreamon's and helped her press with the knife. This time, she was able to cut a piece without it flying into someone.

"Thanks," whispered Rodoreamon. "You're really nice."

Mamiina blushed, but didn't reply. She didn't want Rodoreamon to know how much the compliment meant to her. She looked down at her apple slices, and focused on cutting them into perfect tiny pieces.


	35. Applesauce Part 2

**Sorry it's late. I've been gone a lot today and then my sister came over. I showed her the Simoun PS2 game and then eps 8 and 9 of Simoun :D She didn't hate it.**

**Applesauce, Part 2**

The girls continued to cut the apples until they had a large pile. "Dominura, will you place the pieces in the bowl?" asked the teacher.

"Sure," replied Dominura, using both hands to gather the pieces into the bowl.

The teacher then handed Rodoreamon a measuring cup filled with some water. "Now, you can pour this over the apples. It'll help them cook."

Rodoreamon did as asked. The teacher covered the bowl and then took it away from the table. "You girls may go play now. I'll take it from here."

Mamiina knew from experience that the applesauce was not finished. She'd never made applesauce the way the teacher was doing it, but the apples weren't cooked. They weren't soft and mixed together. She sat at the table, waiting for the teacher to return.

It wasn't long before the teacher returned carrying the bowl carefully with pot holders. She set the bowl on the table, noticing Mamiina had stayed. "What's wrong, Mamiina?"

"I wanted to help finish. You had to cook the apples, didn't you?"

"That's right. Now we have to put them in the blender. Would you like to help me?" Mamiina nodded, and the teacher handed her a cup. She then placed the blender on the table. "Just scoop the apples into the blender. Then we'll push a button that will mash it all together."

Mamiina carefully transferred the apples from the bowl to the blender, being careful not to spill any. She made sure not to touch the bowl, and hummed while she completed the task. The teacher let her work at her own place, observing her.

"Finished!"

"Very good. Now, we're going to blend the apples together." She showed Mamiina how to work the blender and to check the sauce from time to time. Mamiina learned quickly, and was soon able to work the blender on her own, checking every so often to see how many apple chunks remained, and to use a wooden spot to stir the apple sauce.

"Now, what's the last thing we add?" asked the teacher.

"Sugar!" Mamiina picked up the cup of sugar and carefully poured it into the blender, making sure not to spill any. She replaced the lid and pressed a button. The blender whirred to life, stirring the sugar into the applesauce.

That afternoon for snack, the girls had chilled applesauce. Since Mamiina had helped finish making it, the teacher let her serve the rest of her classmates. She carried small bowls to each of the girls, carefully setting a bowl in front of each one. Once everyone else had been served, she sat down too. She took a small spoonful from her bowl and placed it in her mouth. The sweet taste of fresh apples greeted her taste buds. She ate slowly, savoring the treat. She would have to remember to mention this to the cooks at home. Perhaps they could make applesauce this way too.


	36. Bus

**There have been many issues today, sad to say, but here you go!**

**Bus**

Paraietta sat quietly at the table. She didn't know what to do for free play today. She held a blue crayon in her hand, making wide spirals on the paper. Her heart wasn't into it. She missed Neviril. They were always together, but since Neviril was out sick, Paraietta didn't have her best friend to play with. Paraietta looked up as she saw Kaimu walk past, carrying a chair in front of her.

Kaimu placed the chair on the circle rug. She faced it toward the classroom. Then she walked back to the table and picked up another chair, repeating the same process. This chair she placed behind the first one. She continued with two more chairs, making a small row. Then she went to the dress-up bin, searching for a hat to wear. She pulled out a small maroon beret and placed it upon her head. Satisfied, she began walking back to her row of chairs.

"What are you doing?" Paraietta couldn't help but ask.

Kaimu turned around. "I made a bus. I'm gonna drive it."

"That's silly."

"Have you ever played bus?"

"No," replied Paraietta.

"Then you don't know. Come play with me."

Paraietta looked down at the paper in front of her and then back at Kaimu. It wasn't like she was enjoying sitting here. She put the crayons away and recycled her paper. "All right. I'll play."

Kaimu smiled. "Okay! I need to drive the bus to the bus stop."

"Can't I just get on the bus?"

"No! I have to drive the bus from the garage to the bus stop. Then you can get on."

Paraietta looked skeptical, but followed Kaimu's instructions. She waited at the bust stop and watched as Kaimu sat in the front of the bus. Kaimu placed her hands in front of her, pretending to drive.

"Beep! Beep! Watch out!" she called as she drove. This made Paraietta giggle behind her hand. "Okay, Paraietta! You can get on now!"

Paraietta walked toward the bus and took the very last seat. She placed her hands in her lap, unsure of what to do next. Did Kaimu expect her to say something?

"Where to, ma'am?" asked Kaimu, looking back.

"I don't know…the park I guess."

"All right then!" Kaimu turned back around, making noises as though she was driving the bus. "Vroom, vroooom! Get outta my way!" She pretended to swerve sharply to the left, leaning as she did so. Her beret fell off in the process. "Watch it, cat!"

Paraietta giggled some more. Kaimu turned back around as she retrieved her hat. "Come on. You can do it too! It's easy."

"O-okay."

Paraietta waited until Kaimu began driving again. She had no idea what she'd do or say. Kaimu, however, made it easy.

"Don't walk in the road! Beep!"

"Yeah, I need to get to the park!" added Paraietta. "Stay out of the bus's way!"

"Oh no the light turned red!" Kaimu pretended to slam on the brakes and Paraietta pretended to be thrown forward.

"Easy on the brakes, bus driver!"

"Not my fault!"

Paraietta giggled. Kaimu had been right. This wasn't silly. It was actually quite fun. It was a lot better than playing alone, too.

"We're here at the park! Everybody off!" called Kaimu.

"Bus driver, I changed my mind. I want to go shopping now," replied Paraietta.

"All right then! To the shopping mall?"

"Yes, please," answered Paraietta. It was turning out that Neviril wasn't the only one she could play with. Kaimu was fun to play with too. Kaimu had taught her that playing bus wasn't such a silly game after all. Plus, it was better with two.


	37. Popularity

**Popularity**

The air in the classroom felt different, as it had the previous two days. Neviril had been absent, and today marked the third day. For the most part, things didn't change. Paraietta had been lost without her best friend, but Kaimu had teamed up with her. The teacher had told them that Neviril had been sick, but would probably return tomorrow.

Dominura surveyed the classroom, taking everything in. She stood alone near the tables. She'd brought a box of crayons and some paper to the table. Despite having been in kindergarten a couple of weeks, she had yet to make a good friend. Mostly, she kept to herself, and the other girls had been content to leave her alone.

Sitting at the table, she pulled a black crayon from the box. She gripped it and began drawing on the blank piece of paper. She drew a picture of herself, surrounded by the other girls in the class. In the background, a small figure with pink hair watched. Dominura placed her crayons back into the box. Satisfied, she took the picture to her cubby. She wanted the attention Neviril got. Now seemed like a good time to try it.

After putting the crayons and paper away, she walked over to one of the groups playing. Paraietta was sitting in a row of chairs, and at the very front was Kaimu, hands held in front of her.

"Vroom Vroom! Beep! Hey watch it!" called Kaimu. "I'm trying to drive a bus here!"

Paraietta sat in the back of the bus, not saying a word. She looked straight ahead, a small smile on her face. She was amused by Kaimu's actions.

"I want to play too," announced Dominura.

Paraietta looked at her and Kaimu turned around. "Sure you can," replied Kaimu. "You have to wait until I get to the next bus stop. Then you can get on."

"Why can't I get on now?"

"Because I'm driving on the road still, silly and—" She turned back around quickly, pretending to swerve. "That's not where you walk, stupid!"

Ignoring what Kaimu said, Dominura sat in a chair in front of Paraietta. Kaimu didn't see her, but Paraietta spoke up. "You're not playing right."

"But I wanted to get on the bus."

"That's why you wait for the bus stop. You can't get on a moving bus."

Dominura rose from her seat and walked away. She bit her bottom lip. It didn't make any sense. What did make sense was that that was not the way to get attention. She was sure that Neviril would have followed the rules. Dominura decided to try again. She looked around for another group. She spotted Morinas, Aaeru, and Alti playing with the blocks. She watched them for a few moments, and then walked over.

"We need more on top!" called Aaeru. "Get more of the little blocks."

Alti did as Aaeru asked, taking many colorful squares and placing them on top of the tallest building. Morinas was working on a set of smaller buildings, carefully studying where to place each piece.

"I want to play," called Dominura.

Aaeru looked at her. "Okay! You can get the long blocks and build another tower."

This time, Dominura did as asked. She carefully placed the blocks together, making a building half the size of the tall tower Aaeru had worked on. She was adding a square block on top to make the roof when Aaeru spoke up once more. "Okay, we're ready. Everyone move back!"

Before Dominura could protest, Aaeru held out her arms "Rawr! I'm going to destroy the city!" she growled, waving about her arms. She walked directly into the buildings, and they came tumbling down.

Dominura got to her feet. "That wasn't fair! I was still building!"

Aaeru blinked and looked at her, confused. "That's how the game was played. We built the towers and then they got destroyed by a bear."

The teacher interrupted, gently taking Aaeru by the hand. "Come with me, Aaeru. I think we need to talk about the rules for the block center again."

"Let's build more towers that don't need to be destroyed," said Dominura, getting back on her knees.

Alti and Morinas stood in their spots. "It's not as fun that way. Aaeru's way is more fun," replied Morinas.

"Yeah," added Alti. Together, the two of them began picking up their blocks. Dominura didn't want to play with the blocks by herself, so she helped put them away too.

After the blocks were stored back on the shelves, Dominura decided not to try to find another group. How did Neviril do it? She thought about this as she went over to the library center and plopped onto a beanbag chair. Yun was in her favorite spot, reading. She didn't say a word. For awhile, Dominura tried to think of ways to join the groups and make friends.

"You can't be Neviril," spoke Yun matter-of-factly to her.

"Huh?" asked Dominura, looking up.

"Don't try to be Neviril. Just be you." Yun never looked up from her book and continued to read.

Dominura nodded. "Okay… I'll try to do that." Yun seemed like she was right. If she tried to get attention from everyone, she wasn't being herself. She was only copying Neviril. Next time, she'd play differently.


	38. Slightly Better

**Slightly Better**

Neviril soon returned to kindergarten. She quietly hung her backpack and jacket in her cubby and then went to the small tables. She rested her head in her hands and watched as the other girls slowly arrived. Neviril didn't get up to greet them, but they came over to her when they saw her. However, they left her be after a few minutes.

When Aaeru arrived and saw Neviril sitting at the table, she happily rushed over. "Neviril! Neviril, you're back!" She grinned from ear to ear. "Come on, let's go play!"

Neviril looked up at Aaeru. "I don't feel like playing, Aaeru."

"Why not? You're back in school. That means you're not sick anymore!"

"I don't feel myself. I don't want to play."

Aaeru tilted her head to the side, thinking for a moment. "Then we can play at the table!" She rushed off in search of some toys. She returned a few moments later with an armful of blocks cradled in her arms. She dumped them onto the table and began stacking them.

Neviril picked up one of the red square blocks. She slowly turned it over and over in her hands, never placing it on top of the small tower Aaeru had started. Her eyes focused on the wooden piece.

"Neviril, you gotta put it on top!" called Aaeru, snapping her out of her reverie.

Reaching out, Neviril raised the block higher and attempted to put it on top of the tower Aaeru had constructed. Her hand knocked against the tower, sending it crashing down on the table. Neviril looked ready to cry, but Aaeru quickly spoke up. "It's okay! We can rebuild it!"

Neviril did not respond, standing instead. She turned and walked away, leaving Aaeru confused. "Neviril?" she called. "It's okay. I can make it again!"

Paraietta stepped in front of her. "Aaeru, leave her be."

"Huh? Why, Paraietta?"

"She's not feeling well."

"But she came back to school!"

"She's not sick anymore so she came back. She still doesn't feel like herself. Just leave her alone."

Aaeru looked down sadly. "Okay."

For once, Aaeru listened to Paraietta. She left Neviril alone and did not try to get her to play anymore. Neviril stayed alone most of the day, though she did speak with Paraietta. Aaeru watched from afar. Her heart wasn't into school that day, or being creative with her friends. It wasn't the same when Neviril wouldn't talk to her.

Grandpa came to pick Aaeru up that afternoon. "Hey kiddo!" he called as he walked in the door.

"Grandpa!" shouted Aaeru. "Are we going fishing today?"

"You bet! I've got the worms all ready. All I need is a blonde little girl, and I'm ready. I wonder where I'll find her."

Aaeru giggled. "You're silly, Grandpa."

"Go get your things together and then we'll go."

Rushing to the cubbies, Aaeru grabbed her backpack and her light jacket. She stuffed the jacket in her bag and then grabbed a new drawing she'd made. That got stuffed not so nicely into the bag as well. She zipped it up and put it on. As she did so, she noticed Neviril was also gathering her things. With her was a tall man who spoke softly. Aaeru wondered if it was Neviril's dad. Neviril was only nodding to his questions, never speaking.

Back to her Grandpa she went, taking the hand he offered to her. They walked out of the school together. As they did so, Aaeru noticed a small yellow flower on the ground. She let go of her Grandpa's hand to pick it. Carefully, she plucked it from the ground. She saw Neviril coming out of the school with the man.

Aaeru walked back to Neviril, hands behind her back. Neviril stopped when she saw Aaeru. "Aaeru?"

"I have something for you," replied Aaeru. She pulled the yellow flower from behind her back and held it out to Neviril. "I hope you like it."

A surprised Neviril reached out and took the flower. She twirled it slowly between her fingers. "Thank you, Aaeru."

Aaeru grinned, happy to have Neviril reply. "Hope you wanna play tomorrow!" she called as she ran back to her Grandpa. Neviril smiled, the first genuine smile she'd given anyone all day.

"What a strange girl," commented Halconf.

"That's Aaeru for you," replied Neviril softly.


	39. Stronger

**And this drabble is where my soccer coaching skills with my 4's and 5's really comes in handy. For the record, the game played in this drabble is always a hit with my kids. Years, ago, the game was deemed "Mouse in the Box" by a player on the very first team I ever coached. I have no idea where he got the name from or why he named it such, but the name has always stuck. The game in this drabble is similar, but involves the coach playing the role instead of one of the kids. In short- Collin, your game name has never been forgotten.**

**Stronger**

Having PE outside was always fun. It meant the weather was nice, and usually warm too. Today, the PE teacher had told them they'd learn to play a new game. They'd start off easy to learn the basic skills, but then they'd get harder.

"…we'll be learning how to play soccer," finished the teacher.

Paraietta grinned. She loved PE class best of all the resource classes they attended. The games they played were fun, and she usually was quite good at them. She had to be because she wanted to show Neviril how strong she really was. Like the other girls, she stood in a white t-shirt with blue shorts and white tennis shoes. Everyone was required to wear the school's PE uniform after all.

Class began with an overview of the game. They learned about the circle to start a ball, the lines along the field, the goals, and throw-ins. The teacher didn't take very long with the explanations for fear of losing the attention of some, and by the time she'd finished, Aaeru, Morinas, and Limone were chattering amongst themselves. Then the teacher wanted them to practice running with the ball. The trick to the drill was to not kick it too far ahead.

Paraietta was given a ball and waited for the whistle to blow. When the teacher signaled the start of the drill, she took off, kicking the ball hard. It flew a distance ahead of her and she had to run to catch it, hoping another girl wouldn't kick it by accident. Paraietta tried again, but the ball did not stay near her. After a few minutes, she was still no better than before.

The teacher blew her whistle, and all the girls stopped what they were doing. Paraietta took the chance to catch her breath. She looked around, and noticed the other girls were doing the same.

"This time, we'll do the same drill. I want you to try to keep the ball close to you when you kick it without walking. To help you do that, I'm going to be a monster. I like to kick balls that aren't protected so if your ball gets too far in front of you, I'll kick it away." She blew the whistle. "Start!"

Paraietta looked down at her ball once more. This time she vowed to get it right. She began kicking the ball, and running to keep up with it. It still kept going too far ahead, but not as far as before. It was an improvement at least. She continued kicking, trying to become better.

"Too far, Paraietta!" called the teacher, gently kicking the ball away.

Chasing after the ball, Paraietta frowned. This was so frustrating! She kicked it again, trying to do better, but still seeing very little improvement. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the teacher coming once again. This time she quickly turned the ball away, effectively defending against the teacher. The teacher stopped running. "That was really great, Paraietta. You saw me coming and you managed to move the ball away before I could get it. Nicely done!" The teacher smiled at Paraietta before blowing her whistle.

"That's it for today, girls. I'm very pleased with what I've seen!"

"Teacher? I think Aaeru and Morinas are dead!" called Floe in a sing-song voice. Paraietta watched as she kicked both girls in the sides.

Neviril came up to stand beside Paraietta. "That was a hard game," she commented.

"It was, but I'm going to get better at it," replied Paraietta. _Better so I can protect you._


	40. Kiss It Better

**Kiss it Better**

Neviril ran as fast as she could. She was playing tag with Paraietta, and Paraietta was it. Neviril knew she wasn't as fast as Paraietta, but she still kept running. It was easier for her to run today since she'd worn a short purple skirt with a white blouse instead of her usual long purple dress.

Looking behind her, Neviril tried to gauge how far away Paraietta was. She seemed to be closer than the last time. Turning back around, Neviril's eyes widened. She was heading straight for the climber! She tried to veer to the left, but the pea gravel did not agree with her. She skidded, losing her balance. She flung her hands up to her face as she fell forward.

Instantly, she felt pain shoot through her right knee. Neviril sat up, bottom lip trembling. The tears began to flow down her face. She looked down at her knee, which trickled blood. Paraietta was quickly at her side.

"Neviril! Are you okay?" asked Paraietta.

"N-no," sobbed Neviril.

Paraietta took her by the hand. "C'mon… let's go to the nurse's office. She helped pull Neviril to her feet.

Paraietta got the permission they needed to go to the nurse's office. She held Neviril's hand, never letting go. Neviril still sniffled and wiped at her eyes. Her face was splotchy and red.

Once inside the school, Paraietta had to wait outside of the nurse's office while Neviril was taken care of. She sat in one of the large plastic chairs, swinging her feet back and forth. She blamed herself for Neviril getting hurt. She was the one who suggested they play tag. Neviril didn't often like to play games like that, but she had agreed to do so today. Neviril wasn't supposed to get hurt. She was supposed to protect her, and make sure that didn't happen. She hung her head in shame. She had failed.

The door to the nurse's office opened. Paraietta looked up. Neviril walked out holding the nurse's hand, still sniffling. She looked a little better, and her knee sported a large band-aid. "Here we are, Neviril. Be careful next time, all right?"

Neviril nodded. "I will," she answered softly.

Paraietta slid off the chair and took Neviril's hand. Together they walked outside. "Is it okay?" she asked.

"It hurts a little bit. The nurse put some stuff on it that made it sting."

Looking down at Neviril's injured knee, Paraietta got down on one knee. She leaned forward, and planted a kiss on the band-aid. "How about now?" she asked.

"That tickles, Paraietta," whispered Neviril.

"Does it feel better?"

Neviril nodded. "Yes. Thank you."

Paraietta rose to her feet, and took hold of Neviril's hand once more. "Papa says kissing makes the things that hurt better."

"It does." Neviril was quiet for a few moments as they walked. Then she looked over at Paraietta. "Do you still want to play tag?"

Paraietta shook her head. "No. I'm tired from playing before. Let's go sit under the tree instead. I bet it's almost time to go back inside." It wasn't the complete truth, but it was close enough. Paraietta would rather Neviril didn't get hurt any more that day. She wanted Neviril to be safe and have a chance to rest instead. She vowed that the next time, she'd make sure Neviril was safe. If she did happen to get hurt, she'd merely kiss the wound better.


	41. Dislike

**Dislike**

The whistle blew, and Floe looked down at the blue and white soccer ball she'd been given. PE was one of her least favorite classes. She didn't like running or playing many of the games. Pouting, she kicked the ball, walking behind it.

"Floe, you need to be running," called the PE teacher as she ran past.

Floe crossed her arms and pouted, glaring at the teacher. She huffed and began jogging at the slowest speed possible. She kicked the ball lightly as she moved. She hoped that PE would be over soon.

Suddenly, the ball she was kicking flew to the side. "Hey!" she yelled, frustrated.

"You need to speed up Floe. The defender will take the ball from you if you're going that slowly."

Holding her breath, Floe stared at the ball a distance away. She released the breath she'd been holding, and trotted over to get the ball, hoping the teacher wouldn't kick it again. When she retrieved the ball, she began doing what the teacher wanted, but only reluctantly. She watched as Paraietta ran past, the teacher close behind her. People like Paraietta were crazy because they enjoyed PE class.

Floe looked for a way to avoid the teacher, not knowing that she was doing as the teacher had wanted. She ran around behind Dominura, hoping the taller girl would hide her. Floe kept an eye out for the teacher as she followed.

"What are you doing?" asked Dominura.

"Following you," replied Floe. "So the teacher doesn't see me."

"You can't hide behind me," replied Dominura, taking off.

Floe quickly looked around for someone else, and spotted Alti. She jogged over, kicking her ball. The ball got away from her, and she chased it instead. By the time she retrieved the ball, Alti was clear on the other side of the field. Floe quickly looked around for someone else, but noticed that she was all alone. Well, she wasn't quite alone. The teacher was jogging toward her. Frustrated, she turned around, and ran in the opposite direction; she wouldn't let the teacher catch her this time.

She accidentally kicked the ball too far ahead, and sped up to get the ball. As she looked behind her, she noticed the teacher was not following her, but looking at her watch. A few seconds later, and the whistle sounded. Floe was relieved. She picked up her ball and walked over to the ball bag to put it away. It was then that she noticed Aaeru and Morinas lying on the ground spread eagle with their eyes closed. She walked closer.

"Teacher? I think Aaeru and Morinas are dead!" Floe called in a sing-song voice. She kicked each of them in their sides without waiting for a reply from the teacher.

"Knock it off!" shouted Aaeru, none too happy about being kicked.

"Yeah, leave us be," added Morinas.

"Floe! Please don't kick your classmates!" stated the teacher as she jogged over. She looked over both Aaeru and Morinas, declaring them tired.

Floe crossed her arms. "Well they shouldn't play dead."

The teacher placed an arm on Floe's shoulder. "Let's go inside, all right?"

Floe knew that tone of voice. It meant she was in trouble, yet again. PE really was a terrible class. She always managed to be in trouble for something, and of course there were the games. What reason was there to go to PE? None, decided Floe, absolutely none.


	42. Dressup

**Dress-Up**

Piles of clothes surrounded Floe as she posed in front of the mirror. She wore a long purple dress with puffed sleeves. On top of her head was a large, floppy, straw hat. She turned to her friends. "How do I look?" she asked.

Paraietta looked up from buttoning her long blue shirt. "Good," she replied.

Neviril nodded in agreement. "It's very nice." She wore a dress similar to Floe and carried a large brown purse. Her head was bare.

"I bet I could find a really nice boy," declared Floe. She twirled around slowly.

"No one will be your boy," remarked Paraietta.

"Will so!" replied Floe, crossing her arms across her chest.

"You could be the boy, Paraietta," suggested Neviril.

"No way!"

"You're dressed like a boy."

"I don't wanna be Floe's boy!" Paraietta didn't add that she wanted to be Neviril's boy.

"Hmph! I'm not good enough?" interjected Floe. "Then I'll go find someone to be my boy!" Floe stomped off, eyes scanning the classroom. Her eyes wandered over each of her classmates, but each one was unsatisfying in some way. Her gazed settled on Aaeru, and she grinned. Yes, Aaeru would be perfect. "Oooh, Aaeruuuuu!" called Floe in a sing-song voice.

Aaeru looked up from the tower she'd been building with the wooden blocks. She looked at Floe, head cocked. "Why are you dressed funny?"

"I'm playing dress-up. I'm the pretty girl, and you're gonna be my boy," she stated matter-of-factly.

"No way," replied Aaeru, shaking her head.

"Yes, you are!"

"No I'm not!"

"Yes you are!" Floe took a step closer. Her foot became tangled in the long fabric of the dress, and she tripped, falling forward. She landed in front of Aaeru's tower, which tumbled to the ground from the impact of Floe's fall.

Aaeru watched as the tower she'd worked hard on fell. Some of the blocks landed on Floe's head. No sooner had that happened than Floe began to cry. Aaeru crossed her arms and watched. It served her right for wearing a long dress like that. She began picking up the blocks, deciding that she'd rebuild another tower. She began stacking the larger blocks, ignoring Floe's crying. It wasn't because she didn't care. She simply didn't know how to react.

Floe sat up, rubbing at her eyes and sniffling. "You're mean, Aaeru."

Aaeru looked up from her building. "Huh?"

"You went back to building instead of seeing how I was. That's mean."

"You fell on your own! I didn't do it!" protested Aaeru.

Floe got to her feet and carefully turned around. She took one look at Aaeru before walking away, going back to the dress-up area. Neviril and Paraietta watched her silently return. Neviril tried to console her, giving her a hug, but all Floe could do was put away the dress she'd been wearing and begin cleaning up the rest of the clothes she'd pulled out.

Once the last piece of clothing was in the dress up box, Floe turned around to find something else to do. Her head still hurt and she didn't feel like playing anymore. She came face to face with Aaeru, who stood with her hands behind her back and looked shyly at the ground. Aaeru looked up when she noticed Floe looking at her in surprise.

"I…I'm sorry," Aaeru said softly.

Floe blinked, still surprised that Aaeru had come to her. "You are?"

Aaeru nodded. "I'm sorry. Don't cry, okay?

Floe nodded, smiling. "Okay!"

"And don't fall near my towers anymore, either," added Aaeru as an after thought.

"I didn't fall on purpose!" huffed Floe.

Aaeru giggled. "Wanna build with me?"

"Sure," replied Floe, following Aaeru to the block center. The two spent the rest of free play focused on creating a large series of towers. And this time, none of them fell.


	43. Doll

**Doll**

She slowly rocked the cradle from side to side, humming softly. She was all alone, a rare occurance. Her bright blue eyes looked lovingly at the doll in the cradle. It had been her first doll, a gift received when she was much younger from her father. She'd brought it for show and tell today, and kept it out to play with.

"Neviril?" called Paraietta from across the room. Do you wanna play bus with me, Kaimu—"

She was cut short by Neviril putting a finger to her lips. Neviril shook her head no. She still wanted to play with her doll. Paraietta nodded and said no more as she turned back around.

Neviril looked back down at her doll tenderly. She touched the chestnut tresses and then picked up the doll, cradling it carefully in her arms. The doll wore a long purple gown, which matched the dress that Neviril wore. It had bright blue eyes that closed when the doll laid back. Back and forth, back and forth she rocked it.

She decided that the doll needed a diaper change and moved to the changing table. Laying the doll down, she proceeded to remove the dress and the pretend cloth diaper. She then replaced the diaper and smoothed the doll's dress back down. She picked up the doll carefully, returning to the cradle.

Kissing the doll, Neviril placed her once more in the cradle. She tucked her in, placing the blanket neatly around her. She rocked the cradle once more, slowly and gently. The sounds of the classroom were quite distant to her, as she was lost in her own world.

Once the doll was "asleep", Neviril rose and pulled on a pretend apron. She set about finding the pots and pans she wanted. Once that was accomplished, she gathered the pretend food she wanted to make into a meal. Into a pot went a variety of vegetables, along with hamburger pieces. Neviril stirred this concoction with a large plastic spoon. It would be the soup for the meal. Next, she put together some pizza slices on a tray and placed them into the oven to cook.

Her work was interrupted when the doll began to "cry". Neviril pretended to wipe her hands on her apron and then went to the cradle to check on the doll. She picked the doll up in her arms, lightly bouncing it and whispering, "It'll be all right." Neviril soon placed her back in the cradle, tucking her in once more.

This time, she also set out a pot and placed a bottle in it. She figured her doll must be hungry, and so she would be prepared to feed her when she next awoke. She finished making the soup and pizza, setting out the dishes on the table. She spooned the soup into a bowl and then placed a few slices of pizza on a plate. She sat down, pretending to eat the meal she'd prepared, quite pleased with herself.

In due time, she rose from the table and went to the cradle. She picked up the doll and carried her over to the stove, where she retrieved the bottle from earlier. She pretended to test it. Then she went to the rocking chair. She held the bottle up to the doll's mouth and began rocking as she fed her.

"Time to put away our toys, girls!" called the teacher from her desk.

Neviril was pulled from her pretend world of play, blinking as the teacher's words made her realize that she was merely playing. She set the doll down on the table as she put away the dishes and food. Then she took the doll to her cubby, placing it on the storage shelf. She made sure that the doll was carefully tucked away and wouldn't fall off the shelf. She turned to walk away, looking back once more. Then she turned back around and walk to the circle rug to sit on her spot.


	44. Nightmare

**Nightmare**

The classroom was darker than usual. Soft lullaby music filtered throughout the room. Twelve mats were spread out in various locations in the classroom. Twelve girls napped on the mats with their own personal touches from home. The teacher was at her desk, enjoying her lunch and looking over observations she'd made of her students.

Mamiina's eyes snapped open suddenly, looking around in confusion. She'd been dreaming and… the dream came back to her. Tears pricked at her eyes. She didn't want to be alone. She had nothing to hold onto since she chose not to keep a stuffed animal at school.

She rolled over, looking at Rodoreamon. Both girls slept in the library center, and were somewhat hidden by the shelves all around them. Rodoreamon slept peacefully as she rested against her tan stuffed doll. Mamiina thought it was the ugliest thing ever, and its face was kind of scary. However, she reached out, poking Rodoreamon's arm. Rodoreamon stirred, but didn't wake. In the distance, the scraping of a chair could be heard, followed by the soft closing of a door. Mamiina poked Rodoreamon again, and pulled her hand back just as Rodoreamon opened her eyes.

Blinking, Rodoreamon looked at Mamiina, whose face had changed. She tried to look nonchalant. "Mamiina?" Mamiina pretended to sleep. "You're not sleeping, Mamiina."

Mamiina opened an eye. "Am so," she muttered softly. Then she looked down, away from Rodoreamon's eyes.

"What's wrong?" asked Rodoreamon, making sure to whisper.

"Nothing."

"You look sad, Mamiina."

Mamiina was quiet for a few moments. She didn't want to speak of her nightmare, didn't want to let Rodoreamon know. In the end, she spoke softly. "Bad dream. It was nothing."

"I don't think so."

"It was scary," Mamiina finally admitted. "I was all alone… and something chased after me…but I didn't know what it was."

"It was just a bad dream… you're okay now."

"I don't wanna be alone," whispered Mamiina, almost too softly to be heard.

"You're not alone, Mamiina. I'm here too."

Mamiina didn't reply. She looked down at her mat, refusing to let her eyes meet Rodoreamon's. The door to the classroom opened again, and she closed her eyes, trying to sleep. They'd be in trouble if the teacher caught them awake. She wished she had something to hold onto. She got her wish; Rodoreamon found Mamiina's hand with her hand, holding tight. She squeezed. Mamiina didn't say a word, but the feeling of another's hand in her own calmed her. She wasn't alone anymore.

When the last lullaby song faded away and the lights flickered on, both girls were fast asleep. Rodoreamon still held tight to Mamiina's hand. The simplest of human touches was more than just comfort. When the teacher came around to wake the two girls, she smiled at the scene. She almost didn't want to wake either of them. A gentle shaking of each girl brought them back to consciousness. Mamiina quickly pulled her hand away from Rodoreamon's when she saw the teacher standing nearby. The teacher made no comment, happy to keep the secret between the two of them.


	45. Instruments

**Instruments**

"Today, we're going to try something special," began the music teacher. He gestured toward a large plastic bin, full of various instruments. "We're going to experiment with making our own music. Before we start, there are a few things to remember. First, we'll choose one at a time. After we choose, we'll wait for the teacher to tell you when to start. Finally, we're going to keep the noise level down. It's fun to make music, but it's not fun if you can't hear anyone else's instrument. Do we all understand?"

The girls all nodded. "Yes, sir!"

"Good. Now, we'll draw sticks to see who goes first, until everyone has an instrument." He picked up a small cup beside him that held sticks with each girl's name. Stirring the sticks around, he pulled one out. "Aaeru, you're first."

Grinning, Aaeru quickly got to her feet. She walked over to the box and sorted through it until she pulled out the small drum with an attached drumstick. She took it back to her spot and sat down. Before she could take the stick and tap on the drum head, the teacher gave her a look. Meekly, she set the stick down by the drum.

"Neviril, you're next," he called, pulling out a stick and setting it aside.

Neviril wandered to the box. She moved a few instruments aside before pulling out her chosen instrument. The tambourine jingled as she returned to her seat and set the tambourine neatly in her lap.

"Limone, you're next." Another stick joined the pile on the floor.

Limone walked to the box and grabbed the first instrument her hands touched. She ended up placing the rhythm sticks in her lap once she sat back down. The two sticks clattered together quietly.

The music teacher continued choosing sticks until each of the girls had an instrument. Rodoreamon had the triangle. Mamiina had the xylophone. Kaimu and Alti each had maracas, which Kaimu was not entirely thrilled about. Yun had a set of castanets. Dominura had two egg shakers, while Floe had a cowbell. Morinas rounded out the group with a pair of hand bells.

"All right. Let's take a few moments to explore our instruments. Remember, if you play too loudly, it's hard for others to hear their instruments," explained the teacher.

Each girl began to play her instrument. Forgetting what the teacher had said, Aaeru banged loudly on her drum. Not wanting to be outdone, Mamiina began pounding on the xylophone. It became so loud that some of the other girls covered their ears.

A piercing whistle echoed throughout the room. Aaeru and Mamiina stopped playing and looked over at the teacher, who didn't look very happy. Without a word, he took each of their instruments. "Now, let's try that again."

This time, the sound of various instruments filled the room. It was a cacophony of ruckus. All the while, Aaeru and Mamiina glared at each other. "Your fault," muttered Aaeru.

"No, it's yours," replied Mamiina. Aaeru only growled in reply.

After a few moments, the teacher held up his hands, signaling the group to stop. He gave Aaeru and Mamiina back their instruments. "Now, let's put all our instruments together. If you work together, you'll create one harmony. Ready? Begin!"

Each girl started to play her instrument, but it soon became a contest to outdo the others. The sound was garbled together, completely unpleasant to listen to. The music teacher let them continue for a minute more, and then he stopped them. "Did you hear the sound? It didn't sound very good, did it?" The girls shook their heads. "Right. You weren't focused on working together. Listen to your classmates when you play. Let's try again. Start!"

This time, the girls attempted to do better than before. They started off slowly, listening for the sounds of the other instruments, and keeping to the same rhythm. Instead of sounding like a clashing cacophony of sound, they sounded more like a peaceful harmony. It wasn't the best, and it certainly wasn't perfect, but perfection didn't come right away. It would take time before they would all learn to work together as a melodious symphony.


	46. Can't I?

**Can't I?**

She sat at the small picnic table, watching her sister play on the climber yet again. Her tiny fist clenched and unclenched. She wanted to play with her sister and do the things she did, but she couldn't. Kaimu didn't want her always tagging along and Kaimu also knew that the climber still scared her. Therefore, that was where Kaimu played when she wanted nothing to do with Alti. Alti pretended to be resting, wondering how she could get Kaimu to play with her.

"Why are you all by yourself?" asked Morinas, plopping down on the other side of the picnic table.

"Cause Kaimu doesn't wanna play with me."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. She's stupid."

"Did you try?" asked Morinas.

"No. She's on the climber. She knows I can't climb it 'cause it scares me. She says I'm a scaredy cat."

"You can come play with me," suggested Morinas.

"No. I wanna play with my sister."

Morinas sighed, and stood up from the table. "Okay then."

Alti watched her go, and then turned her attention back to Kaimu. Kaimu swung upside down on the climber. She was playing with Aaeru, who also swung upside down. She wished she was able to climb the climber. Standing, Alti walked closer, find a new spot from which to spy on Kaimu. Kaimu wasn't paying any attention to her anyway.

In the distance, she saw Aaeru pointing in her direction, and saw Kaimu's head turning. Alti realized that Aaeru was pointing at her. This was further demonstrated when Kaimu's face changed; Alti was quite certain she was angry. She watched as Kaimu quickly came down from the climber and strode to where she sat. Alti rose to meet her.

"Why are you spying on me?" asked Kaimu accusingly.

"I wasn't spying, Nee-san," protested Alti.

"I told you. You can't play with me. I don't want to play with you today."

"I want to play with you, Nee-san."

"I don't want to play with you," replied Kaimu. "I want to do my own thing today. So stop trying to follow me."

Alti looked down at the ground. Big tears began to well up in her eyes. "I just want to play with you."

Kaimu turned around, crossing her arms. "Don't be a cry baby."

Alti stood there, continuing to cry. "Y-you're so s-st-stupid, Nee-san!" she wailed.

Kaimu sighed. She wouldn't give in to Alti this time. She always cried and called her stupid when she didn't get her way. Kaimu couldn't figure out why Alti always wanted to be around her all the time. Surely she got sick of being with her sister. Couldn't she just do her own thing for once? She sighed again, beginning to walk slowly back to the climber. "If you want to play, you can stay under the climber, but that's it." Without another word, she ran to join Aaeru again.

Alti wiped at her eyes and then wiped her nose on her arm. Her face was splotchy and red, but she didn't notice or care. She ran to catch up with Kaimu, who had already climbed back up to her spot.


	47. Spider

**Spider**

Neviril sat at the table, working quietly on a drawing. She and Paraietta had grabbed the bucket of crayons and some clean manila paper to draw on. Neviril had decided to draw her father in his best suit. At her age, she didn't quite understand what he did, but she knew it was a very important job. Beside her, Paraietta had drawn… Neviril wasn't sure what Paraietta had drawn.

"Paraietta, what are you drawing?"

"I'm drawing a bird in a tree," she replied, picking up a green crayon from the box. She placed it to the paper and began coloring in a circle.

Studying the paper, Neviril could see the tree if she looked hard enough. It looked more like a big green and brown blob. "Where will the bird go?"

"The bird is right there," answered Paraietta, pointing to a small blue circle almost entirely covered by the green and brown.

"I see," replied Neviril. She went back to working on coloring her father. She was coloring his black suit. It was the last piece she needed to color. She held up her picture to look at once she had finished.

As an afterthought, she decided to draw herself in the picture as well. She reached for another crayon, fingers searching for a pink one to do her hair. As she picked up the pale pink crayon, she noticed something in the bucket, something that was not a crayon.

"Spider!" she shrieked, backing quickly away from the table.

Paraietta's green crayon slid across her paper as Neviril's shriek startled her. "Neviril! Look what you made me do!" she called out in frustration. She looked up at Neviril and saw the fear on her face. It confused her to see such fear over a spider. Setting down her crayon, Paraietta looked into the crayon bucket, and saw the tiny black creature on top of the crayon that Neviril must have been reaching for.

Grabbing the crayon, Paraietta pulled it out of the bucket, but the spider scurried off onto the table. This scared Neviril more, who had curled up in a chair. The spider moved quickly across the table and Paraietta moved to meet it. She looked around for something to smash it with. She saw Aaeru carry a small handful of blocks past her and quickly grabbed a red cube.

"Hey!" called Aaeru. "Don't steal my block!"

Not listening, Paraietta took the block and went back to cornering the spider on the table. It was on her paper, right over the spot with the bird. Quickly, she brought the block down hard on the table, smashing the spider to smithereens. She picked up the block, finding smashed spider guts on it and juices from the dead spider on her picture.

Aaeru made a face at her, shifting her eyes. "You can keep it, actually." She continued walking back to the block center.

Paraietta held the block up. "Look, Neviril! I killed it! No more spider."

"That's gross," replied Neviril, but she slid off the chair and moved closer to the table.

Paraietta went to clean off the block while Neviril sat back down at the table. She looked at her picture, and then looked at Paraietta's juice splattered one. "You're picture is ruined because of me."

"It's okay," replied Paraietta, drying her hands on her shirt. "I had to keep the spider away from you."

Neviril walked over to Paraietta and kissed her on the cheek. "Thank you."


	48. Unwelcome News

**And now we go back in time to before Aaeru and Dominura, back to the tale of friendship between Amuria and Neviril. I figured it was time for another of these :)**

**Unwelcome News**

"What? No way!" exclaimed Amuria, dropping her spoon into her cereal bowl.

"I'm sorry, Amuria, but we have to."

"But… but… I don't want to. I don't want to leave my friends!"

"You have to, Amuria. You'll get to start school in a new village, okay?"

Amuria ran from the table, crying. She didn't want to leave. They couldn't move again. They hadn't been here very long at all. She cried into her pillow. She didn't want to leave her friends behind. She didn't want to leave Neviril.

The bed creaked as someone else sat beside her. "Amuria, it'll be okay."

Amuria didn't answer her sister. She wanted her to go away. She felt a hand on her hair, rubbing her head gently. "Don't wanna go," she mumbled.

"Now you know how I feel. You know we always move around. I always have to leave my friends behind. Now that we're moving, I'll have to start school and make new friends all over again. You know that once this year ends I'll go to one of the temples to train to become a Sibylla. But I won't really know the people I'm with."

"Why do we have to go?"

"Dad's job. He's always got to move around."

"I don't want to leave my friends."

Her sister smiled, knowing about Amuria's closest friend. She'd seen the two of them together. "You'll see her again. I bet you could write her a letter. I still write to my old friends."

"But what if Neviril doesn't want to?"

"She's your friend. I'm sure she'll want to write to you."

"I still don't want to go."

"I don't want to go either, but you'll get to see a new place and meet lots of new friends."

Amuria sat up, crossing her legs and placing her chin in her hands. "I don't want to go to school today. I don't feel like it."

Her sister rubbed her back. "If you don't go to school today, you'll miss your friends. We're moving in two weeks. Why not go spend time with them and have fun?"

"But I don't want to tell them."

"Then don't tell them today. You can always tell them later before we move, okay?"

"Okay…I guess."

"Go get your backpack. We'll walk to school together."

"We always do that."

"I know. I'll take you by that one berry bush though so you can have a snack."

"Really?" asked Amuria, perking up at the offer.

"Really. And you can eat as many berries as you like. I won't tell."

Amuria hopped off her bed, rushing to grab her bag that was stashed at the end of her bed. She slipped on the straps and rushed for the door, running past her mother. "Bye mommy!"

Her mother and sister shared knowing glances. Amuria would learn that moving around the country was simply part of their life. It would be hard at first, but she would adapt to it in due time.

"Come on! Let's go!" yelled Amuria from the front door.

"Coming, coming!" replied her sister.

Together, both sisters walked out the door, hand in hand. Amuria happily had her fill munching on her favorite sweet berries. She gave her sister a red juicy grin and giggled. School could wait; nothing was better than a surprise trip to the berry bush to cheer her up.


	49. Cast

**Cast**

It was another regular school day. The weekend had passed and many of the girls returned to school in happy spirits, eager to see their friends again. With a few exceptions, they didn't see each other at all over the weekend. The atmosphere was always bustling on Mondays as the teacher tried to get them settled back into a routine. She'd greet each girl as she came in the door with a parent or guardian and remind them of their morning tasks to be completed. It was simply routine now, and nothing out of the ordinary, save for absences, had ever occurred. Until today.

A look of surprise crossed the teacher's face as Aaeru walked in with her grandfather. Her grandfather carried Aaeru's backpack, but that wasn't what surprised the teacher. No, it was the small white cast on Aaeru's left arm. "Aaeru! What happened?"

"We had an accident over the weekend, I'm afraid," explained her grandfather.

Aaeru spoke up. "I was climbing a tree and I fell out! It hurt really bad, but then they put this cast on my arm and that helped. She tapped her right hand against it. "It's really hard so it'll protect me!"

"Aaeru, remember what we talked about," warned her grandfather.

Aaeru huffed. "I know, I know. Don't bang it on things."

"Right. Have fun today." His farewell went unheard as Aaeru had already made her way into the classroom and to the block center. He turned to the teacher. "Please keep an eye on her. She has tried to bang her cast on things. I'm afraid she'll show off for her friends."

The teacher gave a comforting smile. "I'll keep an eye on her. I'm sure she'll have plenty of stories to tell."

At that very moment, Aaeru was entertaining her classmates who had already arrived. Morinas, Mamiina, and Rodoreamon were gathered around her. Aaeru stood, the center of attention. "…and I reached up to grab the next branch and my hand slipped and I fell down," she explained so excited to share that she ran her sentences together.

"Were you scared?" asked Rodoreamon.

"Pfft… that's not so bad," commented Mamiina.

"Then what?" asked Morinas.

"I don't know," replied Aaeru. "My head doesn't remember that part, but Grandpa said he was scared. I had to go to the doctor and everything. They put this cast on to help make it better." She held up the cast. "You can write on the cast though. Grandpa made a smiley face."

"How about we all sign Aaeru's cast?" asked the teacher. "I'm sure she'd like that." The girls all agreed to signing and the teacher went and got some permanent markers. She could only imagine what would happen if the girls were left to signing on their own. Images of marker covered students returning to their parents was not a pleasant way to end the day.

Each girl signed her name to Aaeru's cast. Sometimes they drew a tiny picture by their name. Aaeru beamed at the cast as it became more colorful. When Floe signed her name, she drew a pair of pink lips by her name. "Kiss it better," she giggled as she finished her drawing.

Aaeru looked at her cast and saw the lips. "Yuck! I don't want kissy lips!"

Floe skipped off. "Too bad!"

Neviril was the last to arrive that day. She stopped short when she saw Aaeru surrounded by their classmates, giggling and laughing in a cast. She walked closer, hearing Aaeru tell her story for a second time. "May I sign it?" she asked softly.

"Neviril! Sure," replied Aaeru.

The teacher handed Neviril a green marker. Neviril neatly printed her name on the cast. She added a crude drawing of the Tempus Spatium symbol by her name. Satisfied, she handed the marker back to the teacher. "Does it hurt?" she asked seriously.

"Nah… not anymore." She waved her cast around to prove her point.

"Aaeru…" warned the teacher. Aaeru stopped swinging the cast.

"I'm glad," answered Neviril, smiling. She leaned forward and kissed Aaeru's forehead before turning and walking away. Aaeru was so shocked by the action that she didn't give her usual kissing complaints or attempt to wipe it away. She merely watched Neviril go.


	50. Bully

**Bully**

Paraietta swung hung legs as she sat atop the highest part of the climber. She felt invincible up this high. Plus, she could keep an eye on Neviril while she played. Neviril had decided to play house in the playhouse by herself. Paraietta had positioned herself so that she appeared to be playing, but so that she could also watch out for Neviril. It was the end of the day and the teacher had given them extra recess outside. They'd been joined by the first grade class, so there were more girls outside than usual.

She swung herself around so that she could hang upside down. She held her red tie with one hand, hating how it always fell in her face. Her mother always insisted on a tie to complete her outfit and so Paraietta wore it. Plus, Neviril liked it. The blood rushed to her head, but she still kept an eye out.

Meanwhile, Neviril played inside the playhouse. She pretended to make a meal, which she would serve to her doll as soon as it finished cooking. She was quite happy and the playhouse was one of her favorite places on the playground. She was interrupted by a loud knocking on the door.

"Whoever's in there, get out! That's my playhouse!" called the voice.

"I'm playing in here," replied Neviril quietly and carefully. She didn't recognize the voice as one of her classmates' and knew it must be one of the first graders.

"Well get out, kindergarten brat. I'm gonna play in there now."

"That's not very nice," replied Neviril.

"I'm not nice," retorted the voice. Another girl appeared at the side window. She grinned at Neviril, who shrunk back, grabbing her doll.

"Hey, she's got a doll! A kindergarten baby!"

Neviril stayed put. She held onto her doll tightly. She would not do what the older girls wanted her to. She wished Paraietta was here. Paraietta always knew what to do.

Paraietta noticed the two girls gathered around the playhouse. They weren't leaving. She quickly turned herself right side up; she needed to see what was going on. Down the climber she went, rushing over to the playhouse. She heard the girls taunting Neviril as she got closer.

"Hey! Leave her alone!" she shouted.

The girls turned to look at her. They laughed. "Look! Another kindergarten baby!" one of them called.

Paraietta crossed her arms. She wasn't going to show these first graders any fear. "Let her be! She's not bothering you!" she declared.

The girls moved closer. "What are you going to do about it? We're not going to listen to a kindergartener."

Neviril's head peaked out the side window of the playhouse. Paraietta moved around the girls slowly, until she stood in front of the playhouse door. She blocked it, planting her feet firmly. She would not let them take Neviril out of the playhouse. She glared, challenging them to try it.

"Move it," called the taller of the two.

Paraietta shook her head. She backed as close to the door as she could. She winced as she saw one the shorter blonde reach out for her shirt. She wouldn't cry. It was for Neviril.

A shrill whistle rang out across the playground. The two girls looked up. "You got lucky this time, kindergarten baby," called the tall one as she ran to line up with the rest of her class.

Paraietta watched the two run off before she moved away from the door. She opened it slowly. "It's okay, Neviril. They're gone now." Neviril sat back in the corner of the playhouse, still looking a bit fearful.

"Thank you, Paraietta." Neviril moved closer to Paraietta before hugging her tightly.

Hugging her back, Paraietta smiled. "I told you I'd protect you." And she meant every word of that vow.


	51. Accident

**Accident**

She grinned, putting the last block on the top of her tower. She stepped back, ignoring the feeling in her lower half. The tower was perfect. It had a wide, colorful base made from long blocks and as it became taller, she had used the small blocks to make it thinner. She admired her handiwork. The overwhelming feeling became too much and she quickly made for the class bathroom. The door was closed when she arrived, and she hopped from foot to foot.

Aaeru glanced desperately around, trying to figure out which girl was in the bathroom. She found all but two. She hoped whoever was inside came out soon. She knew she couldn't wait much longer.

A flush was heard from inside and then the sound of rushing water. A minute later, the door opened and Floe exited, humming to herself. Her nose suddenly wrinkled in disgust. She turned her head and came face to face with Aaeru, who looked down at the floor, a puddle at her feet. "Aaeru, that's gross! You're such a baby!" she scolded.

"N-nuh…nuh-uh," replied Aaeru, sniffling.

"Teacher! Aaeru peed her pants!" yelled Floe, running to the teacher's desk. "And she made a mess!"

"Floe!" scolded the teacher. "You don't need to announce it so loudly."

"But it's true!" protested Floe.

The teacher sighed. "You and I will talk later, Floe. Right now I'm going to go take care of Aaeru."

By the time the teacher got to Aaeru, she was sobbing, her fists rubbing at her eyes. A small group of girls had clustered around. Quickly, the teacher took charge. "All right, girls. Go back to your centers." The group dispersed. "Neviril, go to Aaeru's cubby and get her bag with the spare set of clothes."

Neviril headed for Aaeru's cubby, picking up the brown bag that held a spare set of clothes and shoes. Each girl kept a spare change of clothes and shoes at school in case of emergency. She clutched the bag and carried it back to the teacher.

"Thank you, Neviril. You may go play." The teacher turned to Aaeru, who was hiccupping from crying so hard. Neviril looked at Aaeru for a few moments, a sad smile on her face, before walking back to housekeeping.

"A-am I in trouble?" asked Aaeru.

"No, you're not in trouble," replied the teacher gently. "You just forgot to go to the bathroom before it was too late. I don't think you'll do it again."

Aaeru shook her head. "No," she replied.

"All right. Now, I want you to go into the bathroom and take off your wet shorts, shoes, and underpants. Put them in the bag, and then knock on the door. Then I'll give you your clean clothes, okay?"

Nodding, Aaeru took the bag her clean clothes had been in. She disappeared into the bathroom. The teacher stood outside of the door, waiting patiently. She head a timid knock and opened the door a crack, holding the clean shorts and sandals at Aaeru's level. Two small hands reached out, taking them, and then the door closed once more.

In a few moments, the door opened again, and out stepped Aaeru in a clean pair of shorts and shoes. She held her bag in her right hand and looked toward the floor. The teacher knelt down, smiling. "I'll take your bag so everything can be cleaned, okay? You can go play."

Aaeru nodded, quietly handing over the bag. Her face was still red and splotchy. She didn't look like herself, and she looked ready to cry again. The teacher held out her arms, and Aaeru wrapped herself up in them. Hugging her close, the teacher rubbed her back. After a few moments, Aaeru pulled away. "Ready to play again?"

"Yeah. I wanna go play with the blocks," she replied.

The teacher smiled. "Have fun."

Aaeru rushed back to the block center, happy to see her tower still standing. The teacher watched her for a few moments before turning back to the mess. She knew who to call to take care of it. She walked over to the wall, calling the office for assistance. All that mattered was that Aaeru felt comfortable. She spotted Floe, moving over to make fun of Aaeru. She would have to speak to her as soon as everything was under control.


	52. Reading Buddies Part 1

**Reading Buddies**

The two 5th graders walked down the hallway. Each carried a few books in their hands. They were picture books each girl had gathered from the library. Today was their turn to read to a group of kindergarteners. One of them looked forward to it, while the other wasn't so sure about the whole ordeal.

"Cheer up, Anubitu. At least you get out of class."

Anubitu sighed. "I guess so."

"Would you rather do math?"

"No."

"What books did you pick out?"

"I don't know. I just grabbed some that looked good."

"Let me see," her companion persisted.

"Fine." Anubitu handed over the three books she'd chosen.

"You're sure you want to read these?"

"I guess. Why?"

"You've got one on trains with helical engines, one on where the lightning came from, and another on farm animals."

"And?" asked Anubitu, crossing her arms and stopping.

"Well… they may not like the books very much."

"Why do you say that, Guragie?"

"Would _you_ want to read them?"

"Maybe."

"Would you?"

"Not really."

Guragie paused outside of the kindergarten door. She looked over at her friend, who looked ready to run in the other direction. "I'm sure some of them will like your books. Make it fun for them, okay?" She placed her hand on top of Anubitu's, patting hers.

"I'll try, but I don't do well with kids."

Guragie knocked on the door. "Just do what I do, and you'll be fine."

Anubitu opened her mouth to respond, but the door opening prevented her from doing so. Both girls smiled at the teacher who opened the door. "Welcome to the kindergarten class. We've been expecting you. The girls are just getting ready to clean up their centers. Which of you is Anubitu and which is Guragie?" 

After a few pleasant exchanges, the girls entered the classroom behind the teacher. They looked about the room, each remembering pieces of their own days spent in kindergarten. They hadn't been back since that year. Anubitu took one look at the housekeeping area and remembered how Guragie would always dress her up, no matter how she'd protest. Somehow, Guragie had always convinced her to wear the outfits. She looked over at Guragie, who seemed to be remembering the same thing.

"All right girls! It's time to clean up your areas. Once you're finished, go sit on the rug. Our readers are here from 5th grade, so let's make it quick."

There was a sudden flurry of activity and noise as the toys were put away and centers were put back to their original neat arrangement. Some of the girls seemed to finish more quickly than others, and rushed off to help their classmates. Slowly the rug became filled with all twelve girls, who whispered among themselves. They looked over at Anubitu and Guragie, and whispered some more.

"I don't want to know what they're saying about me," remarked Anubitu softly.

"They're excited to see us. They're not talking bad about you."

"How do you know?"

"If you two will just come over to the rug, I'll introduce you and we'll split the girls into groups. I'll watch and keep an eye from afar," explained the teacher.

Anubitu groaned inwardly. It was one thing to have a group of little kindergarteners watching her every move as she read. It was another thing to have the teacher paying attention as well. She could only hope the time they were here went by quickly.


	53. Reading Buddies Part 2

**Reading Buddies, Part 2**

Anubitu and Guragie walked over to the rug and waited patiently as the teacher explained their presence and what they would be doing, as well as going over the rules and expectations for each of the kindergarteners. "I'm going to split you into two groups. The first group will go with Anubitu. I'd like Aaeru, Yun, Alti, Limone, Morinas, and Paraietta in this group. The second group will go with Guragie. I'd like Neviril, Kaimu, Dominura, Mamiina, Rodoreamon, and Floe in this group." To each of the girls, she said, "Anubitu, you can take your group to the library center over there, and Guragie can keep her group here on the rug."

Each of the groups split up, Anubitu's group following her to the library. Each of the girls grabbed a bean bag and settled in. Anubitu sat in front of them, and placed the books off to the side. She picked up the first book, the one on farm animals, and turned to look at her group. Already, some of them had lost focus. Two of them were involved in a poking war of sorts. Another was laughing at the pair. A third was trying to get them to stop. "Hey guys, I'm going to read to you," began Anubitu nervously. She noticed the teacher nearby, and relaxed. If things got too bad, she could always get help.

Her heart sank when she heard a knock on the door, saw the teacher answer, and then promptly go into the hall, closing the door behind her. She looked back at her group, still only having two paying attention. Perhaps if she started reading, they'd begin to listen. "I have a book on farm animals. See the cover? It has a chicken on it." Immediately, one of the girls hopped up from her spot and pretended to be a chicken. She hopped about, clucking.

"Sit down, Aaeru," complained Paraietta.

Morinas reached up, and tugged Aaeru's shirt, pulling her back to her seat. Aaeru's arms swung freely, and her left arm, cast and all, smacked Alti on the back of the head. Alti began to cry, as did Aaeru.

Anubitu had no idea what to do. She didn't know how to handle kids, let alone crying ones. The teacher still hadn't returned, and she rapidly tried to think of something to do. "Don't cry…please…" she said, more begging than consoling. When that didn't work, she stood up. She looked over at Guragie's group, which was sitting quietly at the rug, listening to her story with rapt attention. Anubitu looked back at her group, quite the opposite of Guragie's. She caught Guragie's eye and mouthed "Help me".

Guragie caught Anubitu's message and spoke softly to her group. Then she quickly made her way off, noticing right away the many issues that had occurred. "What happened?"

"I don't know…I started to try and read and then one was a chicken and then another told her to sit down and another pulled the girl down and then they started to cry and I don't know what to do!" she finished, out of breath from all the run-on sentences she had strung together. Guragie had to know a way to fix the problem. Guragie always did.


	54. Reading Buddies Part 3

**Reading Buddies, Part 3**

Guragie looked at her friend, feeling bad for her. Reading to the kindergarteners was required for each 5th grader as part of their service to the school. She knew that Anubitu would rather be doing any of the other services, including cafeteria duty. Anubitu had tried to find ways around working with the kindergarteners, claiming she didn't work well with little kids. Her teacher had firmly stood her ground on the issue, and so Anubitu had been forced to participate. The only thing that made it better was that she ended up paired with Guragie.

"I'll help you get started, okay?" Guragie looked to the group of girls. "Let's start by sitting back on our beanbags." Each of the girls found their bags and sat. "Good job. Now, my friend wants to share a story with you, but she can't unless you're ready to listen to it. We want to put our hands in our laps and make sure our ears are ready too." The girls giggled, doing as asked. "All right. Now, we're going to make sure we paying really close attention while she reads, which means leaving our friends alone. Everyone understand?"

"Yes!" came the chorus of replies.

"What do I do if they want to act out the book?" asked Anubitu. She pointed to Aaeru. "When I mentioned the chicken, she got up and started acting like one."

Guragie thought for a few minutes. "Oh! She can be your helper." She looked to Aaeru. "Would you like to act out the animals while Anubitu reads?"

Aaeru grinned. "Yeah!"

"Okay. When Anubitu finishes the page, you can pretend to be the animal you just heard about, but you have to stop when Anubitu says to."

"Okay!"

"Now you should be all right." Guragie smiled at Anubitu, and Anubitu relaxed.

Sitting back down again, Anubitu once more picked up the farm animal book. This time, the girls had their attention on her. They weren't picking or talking. She began to read the book, pausing at the end of each page so that Aaeru could be a cow or a duck or a chicken. Each time, she feared the young girl would not listen when asked to stop, but Aaeru always listened. She felt more confident as she read and by the end of the book, the girls clapped. When Anubitu looked up, she saw the kindergarten teacher watching the group.

"That was wonderful! The girls did so well for you," she complimented.

Anubitu tried to hide the blush that crept across her face. "T-thanks," she mumbled.

"Your time's just ended, so you can head back to class. It was nice having you, wasn't it girls?"

"Yes!"

Once back in the hallway, Anubitu waited for Guragie to catch up. She was more than happy to be heading back to the 5th grade room and work on science, the class they were missing. She would be happy not going back to kindergarten any time soon.

"Wait up, Anubitu!" called Guragie in a hushed whisper, not wanting to disturb the other classes.

Anubitu paused and let her friend catch up. The two began walking the rest of the way back, books in hand. "We don't have to go back again, right?"

Guragie couldn't help but giggle. "Not for a few weeks." The only reply from Anubitu was a loud groan.


	55. Counting Bears

**Counting Bears**

Dominura looked around the classroom. The girls were working on a task for the teacher. They had just been counting bears in a jar, and now had been given more bears to count on their own. A blank page rested in front of her, smiling bears looking back up at her.

"I want you to count all the red bears in front of you and then color that many bears on your paper." The teacher demonstrated the task on the board, and then began to circle around the tables, observing the girls.

Dominura began pulling all the red bears from her large pile and set them in a straight line. There was a loud crash next to her, and she turned to find that Aaeru had stacked the bears, and they had fallen into her pile. "Aaeru!" scolded Dominura. She wasn't fond of the girl, who sometimes acted like a baby in her mind.

Aaeru only giggled. "But it's funny!" She gathered the bears with her right hand, reaching across the table.

"No it's not," added Mamiina, scowling at the two of them across the table.

Dominura went back to setting up her bears. She counted the row of red ones she had, and found there were 9 red bears. She set to coloring on her paper, making sure she was careful to stay in the lines. Suddenly, her red crayon slid across the paper, and she glared at Aaeru, who'd moved her cast to keep a new stack of bears from falling.

Immediately, Dominura raised her hand. The teacher came over to the table. "Yes, Dominura?"

"Aaeru's making it hard to work. She keeps stacking bears and they fall onto my pile or she bumps my arm."

"Aaeru, is this true?"

"Not exactly," was the timid reply. "I didn't mean for them to fall."

The teacher looked around the room at the other tables, wondering who she could switch. "Yun, will you trade seats with Dominura for this activity?"

The switch was made and Dominura found herself sitting by Limone, who had long ago completed the first part of the activity with ease. Dominura worked to catch up, quickly and neatly coloring in the rest of the bears she had yet to finish. She looked up when she noticed Limone looking at her out of the corner of her eye. "What?" she asked.

"N-nothing," replied Limone, looking back down at her own paper.

"Please count your blue bears now and then color them in on your paper," stated the teacher, once again demonstrating on the board.

Each girl set to work, following the teacher's instructions. Dominura carefully counted all of her blue bears before beginning to color them in on her paper.

"You forgot one," called Limone softly, reaching over to Dominura's pile and pulling out one that was hidden under a group of green and yellow bears.

Dominura offered her a smile. "Thanks," she replied, coloring in another bear.

The activity continued, the teacher having each of the girls work on the yellow bears and finally the green bears. By the time Dominura was finished, she had a colorful page full of bears. "We have one more step before we're finished," reminded the teacher. "We need to count our bears again and write how many of each color we have."

Dominura began to count her bears, starting with the red bears. She counted 9 and began to make the number on her paper with her pencil. Then she counted her green bears and found there were 12. Next came the blue bears. There were 5 blue bears. She began to make the 5 on the paper, but found that it did not look like a 5 at all. It looked more like an S. Frustrated, she erased the 5 and tried again, getting a very similar result.

Limone watched her quietly, observing her actions. She rose from her seat and stood beside Dominura. "Like this," she said, placing her own finger on the table and tracing a 5.

Dominura watched her, and then copied her actions. She repeated drawing a 5 over and over before picking up her pencil and trying again. This time, her 5 looked much more recognizable. "Thank you," she replied.

"No problem." Limone returned to her seat and sat quietly, hands in her lap. Dominura now noticed that she didn't talk to her tablemates and that she followed the teacher's directions perfectly. She didn't have much more time to consider this because the teacher began the cleanup process, and Dominura helped Morinas and Yun gather the group of counting bears into the large bucket while Limone gathered their group papers into a pile.


	56. Words

**Words**

She tapped a finger against her chin, pouring over the books in the library center, trying to decide which one to choose. She wanted to learn something new. She reached for a thicker book, sounding out the title as she pulled it to her. "My F-first word b-oo-k." A book of words would be helpful

Limone flipped open the book, words and pictures looking back at her. She placed the book at her table spot, sliding into her seat. She flipped through the pages, stopping on a section that was called "Playtime". She looked at the pictures on the pages, noticing that many were toys. She recognized the word "playtime" and then began pouring over the page, happily matching words to pictures.

"What's that?" asked Dominura, walking up behind her.

"A word book," explained Limone, her eyes never leaving the page. She was busy studying the picture of the boy on the tricycle. She could feel Dominura still standing behind her. She ignored the feeling and whispered the word softly to herself.

Dominura sat beside her, watching quietly. She didn't say a word as her eyes roamed the pictures, unable to read the words. "What's that?" she finally asked, pointing to the picture of the girl in a tent-like house.

Limone looked over at Dominura, uncertain if she was really interested or not. "It's a playhouse," she replied softly, pointing to the word. "And the girl is playing." She pointed to the word "playing" below the house.

"So the words are below the picture?" asked Dominura.

"Sometimes. They might be around the picture too. See?" Limone pointed to the drum set. "This is a drum. Here are the—"

"Drum sticks," finished Dominura.

Limone smiled. "Crayons."

"Doll."

"Blocks."

"Aaeru would have fun with him!"

Limone giggled and pointed to another picture. "Neviril." The picture showed a little girl pushing a baby doll carriage. Limone turned the pages, stopping on a page entitled "At the supermarket". "I see milk."

"There's an orange."

"A pineapple."

"Broccoli. Yuck," replied Dominura.

"Too bad there's no candy," answered Limone.

"What are you two doing?" asked the teacher, sitting down on the other side of Limone.

"Limone's teaching me how to read the book. You just point to the pictures and the word's right there."

"I see! Very kind of you, Limone. That's a good book to use."

Limone blushed at the teacher's compliment. "Thank you."

"Have you looked at the "Around the world" pages? They're my favorite," replied the teacher as she flipped through the book. She pointed to one of the pictures. "Look at the geyser shooting hot steam into the air."

"What's that?" asked Dominura. 

"A volcano. And it's shooting lava. I think it's a beautiful picture."

Limone studied the pictures, fascinated. Many of the images were familiar to her, but many were not as well. "What is this?"

"That's a waterfall," replied the teacher.

"I'd like to see one."

"Well, there aren't any near here. Maybe one day, if you become a Sibylla and pray to the skies, you'll see one in your travels."

"Can we see the volcano too?" asked Dominura.

"Of course. Now, I need to go check on some of the other girls before we clean up." The teacher stood, patting each of the girls on their backs.

Limone watched her go. "Do you think we can see them someday?"

Dominura nodded. "Yeah. We just gotta be Sibylla. We could fly together!"

"Yeah!"


	57. Goodbye

**And back to the time of Amuria**

**Goodbye**

It was Amuria's turn to fidget. She kept a watch on the clock, knowing that as soon as lunch was over, they'd go to recess. She had decided to tell Neviril that her family was moving, and she'd have to leave. She didn't want to tell her. She didn't want to leave. She'd waited a few days, listening to the advice of her sister. She was nervous, something she hadn't really been since the first day of school.

She poked at her food, not feeling hungry. They had a simple lunch of French fries, peaches, and hot dogs. She didn't want any of it, but she forced a few bites of peaches anyway. They didn't taste as good. Nothing had the past few days. The move just kept getting closer.

"Aren't you going to eat?" asked Neviril, seated across the table from her. She finished off the last small bite of peaches before sipping from her milk carton.

"I'm not hungry," replied Amuria.

"Do you feel sick?" asked Neviril, concerned.

"No. I just don't want to eat today."

Cleanup came slowly and Amuria trudged onto the playground. She didn't want to tell Neviril right away. Maybe if she waited a little bit, it would be easier. She walked over to the large tree, sitting beneath its shade. A shadow soon appeared, and she looked up to find Neviril there. "What's wrong?"

Amuria sighed, looking down at her lap. "I've got bad news."

"What is it?"

She stood, brushing the dirt from her clothes. When she looked up into Neviril's eyes, she found it hard to speak and say what she needed to. "Neviril… I'm moving next week. I won't be going here anymore."

"Why?" asked Neviril, taking the news in stride.

"My daddy's job is moving him so we have to go to. I don't wanna go, but I have to." The tears she'd tried to hide spilled over. "I don't wanna leave my friends. I don't wanna go. I don't wanna leave you. You're my best friend." She sobbed, her face becoming red.

Neviril pulled her into a hug, and Amuria felt wet tears falling on her face. She looked up, noticing that Neviril was crying too. "Why are you crying?"

"Because I'll miss you too… You're a good friend, Amuria… I don't want you to go either."

"I tried to make them not move, but it won't work. We have to go. My sister says I can write letters to you."

"I would write back to you," replied Neviril. "Father would help me write."

"My sister said she'd help me…but I don't want to go. I want to stay here."

Neviril pulled away from Amuria, but reached out to take her hand instead. "I wish you could stay too… We'll always be friends. You could come and visit me."

Amuria perked up at the suggestion. "And you could come see me! Then I would be able to see you again!"

Smiling, Neviril nodded. She squeezed Amuria's hand. "Yes. We'll always be friends, Amuria." She looked toward the playground. "Do you want to play today?"

Amuria shook her head. She liked holding hands with Neviril, but she couldn't explain why. "Let's go walking."

Both girls circled around the playground, never letting go of the other's hand. It was too comfortable to them and kept them connected. By the end of the next week, Amuria would no longer be a part of Neviril's life, and it would be a long time before they would see each other again, longer than either of them had anticipated.


	58. You're Not Here

**Right after Amuria has left, fyi.**

**You're Not Here**

She sat by herself, staying inside of the playhouse. No one would bother her here. Paraietta would make sure of it, always standing at the front door. For the first few days, everyone had felt sorry for her. She didn't want them to be. She just wanted them all to go away. It had been exactly a week since Amuria had moved away. A very long week. And she felt miserable. She couldn't describe the feeling as miserable, but she couldn't remember feeling so bad inside.

Her father told her she only missed her friend, and that the feeling would go away soon. He had helped her to pen a letter on one of his rare moments home from work. She had carefully signed her name to it in wiggly letters that were mostly straight. _Neviril_. At the bottom, she'd drawn a picture of the two of them playing together. Her father had taken it to make sure it was delivered.

She drew her knees to her chest, resting her head on top. School wasn't the same anymore. It wasn't fun anymore. Every time she saw the empty seat at the table beside Rodoreamon, she would frown. She didn't like seeing it empty.

"Neviril?" called Paraietta from outside.

She looked up toward the door. She didn't want to answer. Paraietta called out to her again, and when she heard no reply, Paraietta opened the door and slipped inside.

"Are you okay?"

"No," mumbled Neviril. "Can you please leave me alone?"

Paraietta went over and hugged Neviril tightly before she let go. "I'll stay outside. No one will come in." The sound of the door shutting made Neviril sigh with relief.

As soon as she was alone again, she stood up and looked out the one side window. She saw Floe and Morinas chasing each other around the playground, giggling. They stopped when they saw Neviril looking at them. Each girl waved before walking away. Neviril's eyes wandered over to the large tree. She hated the tree, but she also loved the tree. Amuria had told her the bad news there. It wasn't pleasant. But…

Immediately, Neviril walked outside, pushing past a surprised Paraietta. She walked over to the tree and ran a hand over its trunk. The bark was rough against her fingers, and hurt a little, but she didn't mind. She sat beneath the tree and looked up into the branches, seeing the patches of blue sky through the green. She remembered the talk with Amuria on the jungle gym about flying together when they grew up. Why couldn't they be grown up already? It seemed so far away.

As recess ended and she lined up at the very end of the line, Neviril looked back at the tree. Even though it made her feel sad, it also reminded her of Amuria. She squeezed her hand together, the same hand that had held Amuria's. The feeling wasn't the same. In her own way, she realized that things would never be the same with Amuria gone. She felt someone reach out and take her other hand.

"Paraietta?" she asked, confused.

"Come on, Neviril. You'll be okay if you stick with me. I'll make sure you feel better," replied Paraietta confidently.

Neviril didn't protest or pull away. Holding Paraietta's hand was not the same as holding Amuria's, but it made her feel slightly better. She gave Paraietta a soft smile. "Okay," she replied.


	59. Enough with the Rules

**I'm leaving for Otakon today so I'm going to post today's and then Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as well. I may have internet at my hotel, but I will most likely forget to upload so I'm just gonna do it all at once instead. Monday will go back to a regular schedule.**

**Enough With the Rules**

Most days, school wasn't fun. Apparently, you weren't supposed to run in the hallways. Or throw paper towel balls in the bathroom. Or try to see who could eat the most tater tots at lunch. There were a lot of things you couldn't do, Floe had learned. She was once again stuck in the cool down chair, puffing up her cheeks. How was she to know that you couldn't put play dough all over someone's arm? After all, how would you make jewelry for someone out of play dough if you didn't know how big to make it?

She sighed dramatically. Okay, so maybe she wouldn't have been in so much trouble if she hadn't decided to cover Limone's arm. Or maybe it was because she put some of it in Limone's hair to try and see what a play dough hair barrette would look like. Was it her fault that some of it had gotten stuck in Limone's hair? Really now, she shouldn't be punished for not knowing about that. She'd told the teacher as much, but the teacher wouldn't listen.

The rest of her classmates were still playing. The teacher was still fooling with Limone's hair, trying to get out all the tiny crumb-like pieces. Limone was quite upset about the whole thing. Floe had apologized, but she didn't think Limone had heard her. All she did was look away and sniffle.

Why couldn't anyone just have fun? School wasn't fun. She didn't care what her mom said. School was all work, work, work. Even recess wasn't fun because sometimes you had to stand by the teacher if you got in trouble.

Floe never meant to get in trouble. She just got caught up in the moment. So maybe her choices weren't always the best. She meant well enough. It was just hard to show others that. She stuck her tongue out, blowing pretend raspberries. She figured she might as well do something to pass the time.

"Floe?" asked the teacher, sitting beside her.

Caught mid-raspberry, Floe turned to the teacher, tongue still sticking out. Quickly, she pulled it back inside of her mouth. "I didn't do it," Floe immediately replied.

The teacher chuckled. "I know you didn't mean to do that to Limone, did you?" Floe shook her head. "That's what I thought. You were just having fun again and made a bad choice."

"But why was it a bad choice?" asked Floe honestly. Her feet swung back and forth under her chair.

"Because we can't just stick play dough in someone's hair. It doesn't work too well, and makes a large mess. Tell me why you put it in her hair again?"

"I wanted to make her a barrette to hold back her hair, but the play dough got stuck and fell apart."

"I think maybe we should keep play dough on the table next time. If you're going to make something for one of your friends, don't put it anywhere on their body besides their arm, all right?"

Floe sighed heavily. "All right. It's just not fun that way."

"I know it's not, but it isn't nice to do it to our friends."

"If you say so," replied Floe, not really believing the teacher.

"Why don't you go join your friends again? I'm sure you're tired of sitting in the chair."

"Good. I don't like the chair."

The teacher laughed again. "I know Floe, I know."


	60. Pleasant Fun

**Pleasant Fun**

Morinas peeked around the corner of the teacher's desk. She had to work quickly before the teacher realized what she was doing. Curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she had had to satisfy it. Her toolkit rested beside her, open. She'd taken the Philips head screwdriver and had been unscrewing the pieces carefully. She was eager to see how the chair was put together; a chair with wheels wasn't something she'd come across before.

Once again she peeked around the corner. The teacher was still busy, talking to Neviril and Paraietta. Neviril was still sad. Nothing seemed to make her really happy. Morinas wondered if taking things apart might make her happy. She loved the feeling of having a large object in pieces around her. It made it more fun to try and put it together again.

There. She had finally gotten the last screw out and began easing the pieces apart. Ah, so that's how the chair ended up put together. She rolled the wheels around on the floor, smiling to herself. The real trick would be putting it back together again. Where to start?

"Morinas! What in the world?..."

Busted.

Morinas put on her best innocent face before turning to look at the teacher. "I'm sorry…I just wanted to take it apart," she apologized.

"Your mom warned me that you would try something like this. I'd almost forgotten until now."

"I'm not in trouble…am I?" Trouble was the last thing she wanted. She knew she'd get her toolkit taken away from her if her mother found out what she'd done. It was her secret toolkit, the one her mom didn't know she had. She'd be busted on so many levels.

The teacher pursed her lips, considering the options. After a few moments, long moments for Morinas, the teacher spoke once more. "No, you're not in trouble."

Morinas breathed a sigh of relief. "Yay! Please don't tell my mom?"

"I have a better idea."

That didn't sound very good to Morinas. Adults never had good ideas that didn't involve work. She hoped it wouldn't be hard or silly. She wondered if she'd rather be in trouble instead.

"I want you to put the chair back together for me. I want you to draw a picture of each step of putting the chair back together."

Morinas groaned. That wasn't very fun at all. She didn't want to have to stop and draw every time she put a piece back together. What if she messed up? Did she have to draw that too? "Do I have to?"

"I can always talk to you mother about what you did."

The afternoon passed by slowly. For some reason, the teacher's task took all the fun out of taking the chair apart. Paper was spread out around Morinas as she scribbled down her sketches of the chair at various stages. By the time her mother arrived to pick her up from school, she was exhausted and very quiet.

"Did you have fun today, Morinas?"

She looked wearily up at her mom and then over to the teacher's chair, which she'd finally gotten pieced back together not five minutes before. She then looked to her teacher, who merely smiled. "Yeah… I'm really tired."

"You must have been really busy today!"

"Yeah…"


	61. Possible Partner in Crime

**Possible Partner in Crime**

The world looked funny upside down. She'd leaned her body against the jungle gym for support. Her head felt funny and her shirt kept falling down, but the new perspective was amusing. She flipped herself right-side up. She shook her head and then picked up the toy Simoun she'd placed on the ground.

She wondered what it'd be like to take things apart hanging upside down. If her head felt funny after only a little bit, it might slow her down. Would she be able to hold her tools correctly? Would she drop them instead? Maybe hanging upside down to take things apart wasn't the best of ideas after all.

Morinas held the Simoun high in the sky, pretending to make it fly. She imagined herself flying in the Simoun. She was gonna be a Sibylla one day so she could fly in one of them. Maybe she'd even get to work on one. That would be something! She wondered what it'd be like to work on such a large machine. Could she take it apart? Would she be allowed to?

Her mother had told her Simouns weren't for taking apart. They were from Tempus Spatium, and Tempus Spatium wouldn't let her. She still could take apart her toy one though. Morinas didn't see the difference between the toy one and the real thing. Weren't they the same thing? They looked the same.

"What's that?"

Looking around, Morinas found the source of the voice. She saw Alti standing nearby. "It's my Simoun. I'm flying it."

"I like your toy. I don't have one of those."

"My daddy made it for me."

"Have you seen a real Simoun?"

"Nuh uh. Just my toy."

"My sister says the Simouns are really big."

Morinas' interest was perked. "Did she get to see one?"

"Uh huh. She got to sit in one with daddy."

"Did you get to see one?"

Alti shook her head. "No. I was sick that day. I didn't get to go."

"You wanna play with my Simoun?" offered Morinas, holding out the toy.

Alti looked down at the toy and back up at Morinas. "You mean I can? Kaimu never lets me play with her toys. She says I'll break them."

"Sure you can! I've taken this apart and put it back together lots of times." Morinas smiled, looking back down at the toy.

Alti took the toy from Morinas and looked at it. She turned it over in her hands and then smiled again. "Thanks!" She began pretending to fly the Simoun, flying it as Morinas had.

"Come on! Follow me!" shouted Morinas, holding out her arms and running. Alti followed behind her, holding the Simoun high in the air. She giggled as Morinas made circles around the playground.

Both girls collapsed on the ground after awhile. They were exhausted from all the running, but each girl was grinning. The Simoun slipped from Alti's fingers and lay on the grass near her hand. "That was fun! Kaimu won't play with me like that," commented Alti.

"You can play with me if you want. Maybe I can teach you how to take things apart."

"Okay!"


	62. Very Appealing Indeed

**Very Appealing Indeed**

It had intrigued her since the very first day of school. Every morning she passed it, and for a time she had wondered what it was for. During the first week of school, the teacher had taken them on a tour of the building and explained that it was the fire alarm. It was only to be pulled in case of a fire. They were never to touch it any other time. Like the rest of her class, she had agreed because it sounded pretty serious, and grown-ups always wanted you to agree with them on serious things.

Floe's head would still turn each morning. She'd eye the shiny red paint and the white handle. She'd squint at the letters. She recognized the "O" and "L's", but she didn't know why they were there. She didn't know the other letters either or that they all together they spelled two very important words. Even if she did, she probably wouldn't have cared.

She wondered what it would be like to pull the alarm. What would happen if she did? Did there really have to be a fire? Or was that just something all teachers told students to keep them away from it? Teachers did, after all, say a lot of things like that. This could be another of those things. It must be really fun to actually pull the alarm. Maybe it was something the teachers did when the students weren't at school. Maybe they pulled the alarm and then danced around, cheering and talking about it. Yes, that must be it. Why else would they tell them not to pull it?

Resolving to pull the alarm, Floe tried to make plans. She needed to find an opportunity that would allow her to pull the alarm and nobody to see her. If there was a way to get out of the classroom, she had to find one. She couldn't go to the bathroom because there was one inside the classroom. How else could she go into the hallway? Maybe if she wanted a drink instead it would work. Yes, she could ask to go to the water fountain.

Over the next few days, Floe tried to find a good chance to make her plan work. However, every time she tried to ask to go to the water fountain, the teacher was in the middle of an activity, or another student also wanted to go so the teacher would send them together. Floe would huff in frustration each time, but it did no good. She had to keep waiting. All the while, she just wanted to pull the handle.

Finally, the day came a week later when she asked to get a drink and no one else wanted to go with her. It was finally her chance to pull the alarm. She walked into the hallway, trying to hide her grin, and failing at it. No one knew why she was so happy, but they'd soon find out. She took a sip of water first before turning her sight toward the alarm a few feet down the hallway.

Floe soon stood in front of the alarm, looking up at it in its shiny glory. She looked around, seeing the hallway was empty. Now or never. She leaned up on tiptoe, reaching as high as she could to touch the handle. She couldn't quite reach it, only a few inches short. She frowned and jumped, still trying to reach the handle. On the third try, her fingers gripped the edge and gravity helped her pull down the handle.

Immediately, a shrill, loud alarm blared throughout the school building. It set a frenzy of organized chaos into action. Classroom doors flew open, and lines of girls filed out, heading for their designated meeting spots outside the school building. All the while, Floe cried, having burst into tears immediately when the sound began. It had scared her; she hadn't expected it to sound like that. She covered both of her ears, trying to block the noise out, but only succeeding in dulling it some.

Her class walked past and her teacher spotted her, intending to herd her into the line of young girls. She took one look at Floe and then looked about the girls head, and knew immediately what had happened. She pulled Floe gently into the line, making sure the girls were outside and safely accounted for. Floe continued to cry as the teacher recruited another to watch the class while she spoke with the principal.

By the end of the day, Floe was the quietest girl in kindergarten. She spoke to no one, and she merely sat at the table with her head down. After the incident, she'd been given a very stern talking to by the principal, who warned her that fire alarms weren't for fun and she shouldn't pull it unless there's an emergency. She didn't have to be told twice. She didn't want to hear that awful sound anymore. It hurt her ears because it was too loud and noisy. She vowed never to touch it again.


	63. Killer Onions, Part 1

**I'm back from Otakon and had an amazing time. Absolutely wonderful. For my Simoun con report, you'll need to visit simoun_sibyllae on LiveJournal.**

**Killer Onions**

Playing tricks wasn't something she often did unless she was bored. And today she was bored. In fact, she was more than bored. It had been raining the past few days and she hadn't been able to go outside and play at all. Her walks to school had been quick and rushed, and her mother had made sure she stayed away from any and all puddles, knowing that she'd jump in them at first chance. Now she sat on the large circle rug, head in her hands. There had to be something to do that was fun and interesting.

All around her, the other girls were engaged in play of some kind. All of it seemed boring. Mamiina and Rodoreamon played in the kitchen, with Mamiina cooking at the stove and Rodoreamon cleaning. Limone was putting together a large puzzle at the tables. Amuria and Neviril were whispering to each other, giggling. Paraietta was nearby, playing with the dinosaur figures. Morinas was next to Paraietta, rolling the cars along the road rug. Kaimu and Alti were playing with the puppets, but neither was playing with the other. That left Yun. Floe huffed. The girl was probably reading books again, being boring. There had to be something to do besides read books.

And that's when Floe had a wonderful idea. She grinned, quickly planning it out in her head. She rose to her feet, taking a peek at the library center. Sure enough, there was Yun, engaged in yet another book. Today she had stacked a few books beside her, probably intending to read them next. Floe made a face. How boring it must be to only look at books all the time! She didn't think she could ever do such a thing. Oh well. It was all the more reason to involve Yun in her plan.

She took a deep breath and put on her best acting face. She then rushed around the shelves to Yun, standing in front of the girl, an exasperated look on her face. "What are you sitting there for? Killer onions are attacking the city! Come on! We gotta go hide!"

Yun looked up in surprise at Floe's words. She had no idea what the girl was up to, but she wanted no part in it. She went back to looking at her book instead, focusing on the little girl she had been reading about.

Not one to give in, Floe tried again. This time she reached down and tugged on Yun's arm. "Come on! I told you! Killer onions are attacking and we need to go hide _now!_"

Yun jerked her arm away. "Leave me alone, Floe. I don't want to play your silly game."

Floe huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "It's _not_ silly! You're so boring, Yun." There was no answer from Yun, who had begun looking at the book again and ignored Floe. This was not the way Floe had pictured her plan going. It was all wrong. Yun was supposed to follow along with her. She didn't like onions so why wouldn't she play a game about running away from them? Yun made no sense to Floe.

As she turned to walk away and come up with a new plan, Floe spotted a book on the floor. She sat down, picking it up and opening the cover. The book was mostly pictures about a funny looking boy. She flipped through the pages. She giggled when she came to the page that showed him running down the street naked. You could see his butt! She finished the book and set it aside, picking up another one. This book, however, had a lot more words in it, and Floe soon became bored.

She chose to leave the center, not having a clue as to how Yun could stay there so long. It got boring so quickly. Yun was really weird. None of the other girls did what Yun did. They liked books too, but not like Yun. It was time to come up with another way to get Yun to play. She would come up with an even better plan next time!


	64. Killer Onions, Part 2

**Killer Onions, Part 2**

Her original plan had failed. Yun hadn't wanted to play and join in, and mentioning onions hadn't done a thing. Yun hadn't been scared or grossed out at all. She hadn't expected that. It had put quite a damper on her idea. Not fun, not fun at all.

Floe spent the rest of the morning concocting a new plan. It had to be better than the first one. Just mentioning onions wouldn't work. She would have to try something else, but what? Clearly, thinking of a good plan was harder than it looked.

By recess that day, she still hadn't come up with anything that sounded good. Her best idea involved drawing an onion picture and giving it to Yun. It even sounded stupid to her. Onion picture. Dumb. She needed a real plan, one that would actually work and not sound stupid.

Outside, she kept to the edges of the playground, deep in thought. She was looking down at the ground, and noticed that some of the grass looked different. She bent down, crouching and moving her fingers over the grass. It certainly felt different. She ripped it from the ground, intent on studying it more closely. As she pulled it from the ground, she immediately noticed the smell. She'd found some wild onion grass. Instantly, a new plan formed in her mind and she giggled to herself.

Floe looked around, trying to figure out where Yun was. It didn't take long to find her. Yun was sitting under the large shady tree, looking at everyone else playing. It would be easy to sneak up on her and scare her. She plucked another handful of the onion just to be sure she had enough and then she headed for her target.

Yun watched her classmates playing on the various pieces of equipment. She didn't want to join them. She was happy enjoying the warm weather and relaxing. She heard someone behind her, but didn't bother turning around. Floe soon appeared in front of her, hands behind her back. Yun frowned; Floe had been acting strange all day and she didn't want to be a part of it.

"I've got something for you!" called Floe in a sing-song voice.

"What?" asked Yun, uncertain if she wanted anything Floe had found.

Floe pulled her hands out from behind her back. "Here! I found it just for _you._" She broke down into a fit of giggles.

Yun reached out for the grassy gift, grasping it in her hand, but quickly realized that what Floe held wasn't just plain grass. She caught a whiff of the grass and quickly let go. "Get away from me!" she yelled.

Floe only giggled more. "But this is for you!"

Yun got to her feet quickly. The smell disgusted her. "Go away! I don't want it!" She turned and walked away.

Giving chase, Floe continued to hold the onion grass in front of her. "But I wanna give this to you!"

"I don't want it!" Yun ran away from Floe as fast as she could, but Floe was faster than she looked.

"But it smells really good!"

"You're crazy!" yelled Yun in return as she ran around the jungle gym.

Her classmates turned and watched in surprise as Floe continued to chase her. Yun had to find somewhere to hide, and quick. She saw the playhouse, as well as Neviril, Amuria, and Paraietta. "Excuse me!" she yelled, running past the surprise group and into the playhouse. She slammed the door shut behind her, and pulled the windows closed. Thinking she might be safe, she slid down the door, trying to catch her breath.

One of the windows popped open and Floe's head appeared, along with a hand holding the onion grass toward her. "Found you!"

"Get that stuff away from me. You know I hate it!"

"I know, but it's fun to chase you," replied Floe. "Don't you want my gift?"

"No, no, no!"

Floe leaned further in the window, holding her hand out closer. Yun had backed herself into the corner. Now this was more like it! Her plan had been successful this time around. She had scared Yun. She had—

"Come with me, Floe," called a gentle voice, taking her by the arm.

She was busted. She let herself be pulled away from the playhouse. "I didn't do anything!" she protested.

"I know, Floe. You always tell me that," replied the teacher. "I think we need to talk about teasing our friends again, all right?"

Floe sighed. "Fine…"


	65. Comfort

**Comfort**

The past few days, the weather had been full of nothing but rain. It seemed never ending, and the puddles made for fun on the way to and from school. Certain students ended up showing up to school more soaked than dry. Today's storm brought the rumbling of thunder and flashes of lightning. Rodoreamon glanced out the window every time there was a flash of lightning. The rumbling that followed didn't calm her nerves. She was quiet; she didn't dare speak of her fears out loud. No one at school knew how much she hated the storms.

Mamiina wandered over in her direction and looked at Rodoreamon with concern. She often teased and picked on the girl, but this was not something she choose to tease her about. "Are you okay?"

Rodoreamon shook her head. Mamiina was the only exception when it came to knowing about her fear. Everyone at home, including the servants, were aware of the young ladyship's terrors. She felt Mamiina's hand slip into her own. She rather liked the touch and the comfort she felt just knowing that at least someone could help her through it. "When will it stop?" she whispered.

"I don't know," replied Mamiina. "But it'll be over soon I bet."

The rain continued to pelt at the window. There was a sudden bright flash, and then the classroom was dark. The girls screamed in the dark, scared and surprised at the same time. The teacher worked to calm the girls, but Rodoreamon never heard her. She herself had grabbed the nearest thing in terror, and that had been Mamiina. Her face was hidden in the side of Mamiina's arm and she cried softly. The thunder rumbled past.

It had nearly taken Mamiina by surprise when Rodoreamon had grabbed her and latched on. She had about lost her balance in the process, but she had righted herself before she'd fallen. She patted Rodoreamon's back.

There was a _click_ and then a beam of light penetrated through the darkness in the room. It moved around the classroom, locating all the girls and directing them to the large circle rug. Mamiina took Rodoreamon's hand, finding that she held tightly to hers. Another flash behind them, and once again Rodoreamon was glued at her side. They made it to the rug without further incident after that, but Rodoreamon would not leave Mamiina's side or let go of her hand.

"All right girls. It looks like the storm has knocked out the school's power. We'll wait to see if it comes back on or if the storm has interfered with one of the helical motors. We can sit here for now though and do something fun."

"But it's all dark. What can we do in the dark?" asked Kaimu.

"Shadow puppets. All you need are your hands. Alti, come hold the flashlight for me."

The girls giggled as the teacher demonstrated by making a rabbit with her fingers in front of the light. It hopped across the chalkboard. Even Rodoreamon giggled at the sight. She sat up to watch. The teacher made a few more shapes, ending with a butterfly. "Your turn. Who wants to try it?" Hands went into the air.

Rodoreamon happily watched and giggled at each of the girls' attempts to make a shadow puppet. The teacher let each of them try a butterfly and a rabbit before letting someone else have a turn. She wanted to try too."

"Rodoreamon? It's your turn," called the teacher.

She stood up and began making her way to the front of the circle. Another flash quickly followed by the thunder and she froze to her spot, breaking into tears once more. Mamiina and the teacher were quickly at her side.

"She doesn't like the storm," stated Mamiina. "It scares her."

"I see… Rodoreamon, would you like Mamiina to come with you?"

Rodoreamon hiccupped, and nodded. "Y-yes."

"Then both of you can of your turn now. Would that be all right?"

Again, she nodded, taking Mamiina's hand. The two walked to the flashlight and the teacher showed them how to move their fingers to get the effect of first a butterfly, and then a rabbit. Mamiina couldn't get it quite right, and Rodoreamon giggled at the deformed shapes. Mamiina was frustrated that her fingers wouldn't do what she wanted, but she began to giggle too after she heard Rodoreamon.

"Very good girls. Now it's time for someone else to try." The two began to walk back to their seats, but the teacher pulled Rodoreamon aside. "The storm will pass soon," she whispered, "But until it does, you have a wonderful friend to help keep you from feeling too alone and scared."

Rodoreamon sat down at her spot, next to Mamiina. They held hands again, and every time the thunder and lightning would strike, she was always right against Mamiina's side, hiding her face. The teacher was right though. She really did have a wonderful friend.


	66. Hula Hooping

**Hula Hooping**

When the girls arrived at PE that morning, they found a group of large hoops in a pile. They'd never seen those before in PE class, and each girl was curious what they could be used for. The teacher wouldn't tell them right away though. She made them do their warmup exercises and then run a short lap.

Finally, the teacher picked up one of the large hoops and explained the girls would learn how to hula hoop today. She demonstrated how to correctly hold the hoop, how to make it spin, and how to keep it in the air by moving the hips. The girls watched, fascinated by her apparent skill. The teacher then handed a hoop to each girl.

"Now we'll do it together, all right? Copy what I do." She watched as each girl picked up the hoop and held it just as she did. "Ready? One, two, three, go!" She spun her hips, keeping the hoop going around and around.

The girls weren't so successful. No one could keep it going for more than a few spins. The teacher soon stopped her hula hooping. "That wasn't bad for your first try. Let's pair up, and you and your partner can work together to practice." She paired off the kindergarteners. "All right. I'm going to watch each group, so do your best."

Kaimu found herself paired with her sister, something she wasn't too overly happy again. She would have rather been paired with Paraietta, but the teacher had paired her with Neviril. She sighed and picked up her hoop. "Watch me, Alti." She copied exactly what the teacher had done. She spun the hoop and began swinging her hips, just as they'd been shown. Within mere seconds, her hoop had fallen to the grass. Kaimu picked up the hoop and tried once more, but got the same result.

"My turn to try, Nee-san," called Alti.

Alti took her own hoop and did exactly as Kaimu and the teacher had. She took a deep breath and then spun the hoop, beginning to swing her hips. However, the same thing happened to her as had happened to Kaimu.

"It's not so easy, Alti," remarked Kaimu. She crossed her arms as she watched her sister reach for her fallen hoop.

"I can do it again. You had another turn so I get one too!" protested Alti. She looked down at her hoop, a determined look on her face. She spun the hoop, spinning her hips.

Kaimu watched in amazement as the hoop spun…and spun and spun. "What…"

"I'm doing it, Nee-san! I'm doing it!" exclaimed Alti happily, smiling at her big sister as the hoop continued to spin 'round and 'round.

"That's excellent, Alti! You're doing so well," called the teacher as she passed their group. She then paused, watching the young student. "I think that's some of the best hula hooping I've seen from a kindergartner!" Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Floe and Aaeru chasing rolling hoops. "Girls!" she called out as she chased after them.

Soon the hoop missed Alti's hip and made its way toward the ground. Alti didn't care though. She was beaming with pride at her accomplished skill. "What did you think, Nee-san?"

"You did well," replied Kaimu, congratulating her sister with grace. It had surprised her that Alti was able to do something that she couldn't.

"It's your turn, though," stated Alti. She picked up Kaimu's hoop and handed it to her. "I know you can do it!"


	67. Listen to the Music

**Listen to the Music**

"Let's see… Aaeru, it's your turn now. What have you brought for show and tell?" asked the teacher, smiling from the head of the circle.

"This!" called Aaeru happily, holding up a small round golden piece. She stood up and went to stand by the teacher, taking the spot so that she could have a turn at show and tell.

"What is it?" asked the teacher.

"It's grandpa's music box. He's had it since he was little," She held it up so the other girls could see it.

"Does it work?" asked Morinas.

"Uh huh. Watch!" Aaeru pressed a small button on the side of the round box, and immediately it popped open.

"Sounds broken," remarked Mamiina.

"It's not broken. You gotta blow it to make it work." She demonstrated, blowing the thin metal fan. Instantly, a soft tune began to play. Aaeru let the tune play softly until the player ran down. During that time no one spoke, mesmerized by the beauty of the song. The tune slowed and Aaeru waited for her classmates to speak up. However, no one did. "You didn't like it?"

The teacher came out of the daze the music had left her in. "That was a wonderful melody, Aaeru. I think I remember hearing that when I was a little girl."

"It's really pretty, Aaeru," added Neviril.

To Aaeru, Neviril's compliment was the best. She grinned. "I know!"

"Why is the music box special to you, Aaeru?"

"Cause grandpa always plays it for me. He says he would play it when I was a baby and couldn't sleep. Now he plays it for me before I go to bed."

"Aww, that's sweet, Aaeru."

Aaeru blushed some. "Thanks."

"Does anyone have any questions for Aaeru?"

"Can we play with your music box, Aaeru?" asked Kaimu.

"Can I take it apart?" asked Morinas.

"No way!" replied Aaeru.

"I think we'll end show and tell here today," said the teacher. "We've run out of time. If Aaeru would like to share her music box, she will, but if she doesn't, please don't try to take it from her. You can go choose a center to play in."

The girls separated and chose their centers of choice. Aaeru stayed seated on the large rug, the music box in her hand. She would blow softly, listening to the tune that played over and over again. She knew it was her only chance to really play with the music box. At home, her grandpa kept it in his bedroom and would only bring it out right before she went to bed. He had trusted her to take care of it, and allowed her to bring it to school to show her friends and teacher.

She looked up when someone sat beside her. "Can I see it?" asked Neviril softly.

"Sure," replied Aaeru, handing over the box.

Neviril blew softly, mimicking what she'd seen Aaeru do before. The tune played and she listened quietly until it finished. "What song is it?" she asked.

"I dunno. I don't think grandpa told me," answered Aaeru. "I just like the song."

"I do too. Maybe you could ask your grandpa what song it is?"

"Okay. I'll ask tonight."

The two girls spent the entire playtime on the rug, side by side. They listened to the tune play over and over, enjoying the melody, unaware of the meaning it held. In years to come, it would lead them on, as they headed toward their destiny.


	68. Cookies

**Cookies**

"What do you have, Mamiina?" asked Rodoreamon on their way to school. She looked curiously at the covered dish Mamiina carried in front of her.

"It's nothing," replied Mamiina quickly, pulling the dish closer to her stomach. She didn't want even Rodoreamon to see.

"What's under it?" persisted Rodoreamon.

"Not telling."

Rodoreamon pouted, but didn't press Mamiina any further. Mamiina wouldn't answer her, and she didn't try to force her. They entered the classroom together and put away their things before Mamiina walked over to the teacher's desk. She looked really worried and she leaned up on tiptoe and whispered in her ear.

"I brought the cookies," she whispered. "For snack. But I don't want anyone to know I made them yet."

The teacher nodded her head. "I can keep them safe for you," she whispered back into Mamiina's ear. She took the plate from Mamiina and placed it on a shelf behind her desk.

Mamiina grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks!" she whispered before running off to play.

"Why were you whispering to the teacher?" asked Aaeru. "Were you playing spies?"

"No stupid! It's a secret."

"Can't you tell us the secret?" asked Floe. "We won't tell!"

"You would tell," remarked Morinas. "You tell everybody's secrets!"

"But only the good ones!" retorted Floe, crossing her arms.

"They're always good ones," answered Morinas, rolling her eyes.

"You're just jealous," called Floe, blowing a raspberry.

"Stop asking her about it," spoke up Rodoreamon, coming to stand beside Mamiina. "She'll tell when she wants."

"Well that's not fun," said Floe, walking away. "You're so boring, Mamiina.

"Am not!" replied Mamiina, clenching her fists.

"Come on," interrupted Rodoreamon, taking Mamiina's hand. "Let's go play."

The gathered group could only watch as Mamiina followed Rodoreamon. Clearly they weren't going to get the secret out of their classmate any time soon. Rodoreamon seemed intent on making sure of it. She kept Mamiina occupied, and wouldn't let anyone near to ask what Mamiina had given the teacher.

That afternoon, the teacher pulled Mamiina's plate from the shelf behind her desk. It was time for snack and instead of having a few of the girls pass out the snack provided by the cafeteria, she called Mamiina over. "We have a special treat for snack today girls. Mamiina, would you like to tell them?"

"It's chocolate chip cookies," she said shyly.

"What makes them special?" asked the teacher.

"I made them at home," she tacked on. "They're really good."

After snack, all the girls complimented Mamiina on her wonderful cookies. Mamiina, unlike her usual self, was shy about accepting the compliments. "Thanks," she managed to say.

That afternoon after school, Mamiina carried the empty plate home with her, a big grin on her face. She was glad her classmates had enjoyed her cookies. She wasn't sure and she had thought they'd make fun of her for enjoying cooking. No one had said a word about that.

"Are you going to make more cookies?" asked Rodoreamon, interrupting her thoughts.

"Y-yeah. The cooks said if they had time they'd help me."

"Will you give me some? They were really good."

"Okay!" replied Mamiina, smiling.


	69. Toolkit Flirting

**Toolkit Flirting**

Extra recess was considered one of the favorite activities amongst the kindergarteners, especially on nice fall days. There wouldn't be too many of those left. Morinas patted the pocket of her overalls, smiling. She'd just gotten a new pair and worn them to school to show off. The best part was the large pockets on either side. She could hide her toolkit inside and no one would know. Of course, there was the slight jangling of tools, but she hoped no one heard that.

Other classes in the school were also taking advantage of the warm weather. Some of the older classes were outside. Morinas didn't really find any of them interesting though. She wandered around the playground, wondering what to do. There wasn't much to take apart outside. She'd tried taking apart the playground equipment, but found it was too hard. She didn't have her toy Simoun on her either. That was her favorite thing to take apart and put back together.

That was when she spotted the older girl beneath the jungle gym. She too wore overalls, as well as a cap atop her head. What drew Morinas to look more closely was the screwdriver in the girl's hand. A fellow tinkerer. A friend. Morinas rushed over and watched the girl a few moments before speaking up.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

The girl looked up, and then looked back at the toy car she held. "Fixing this toy." She said no more to Morinas.

Morinas rocked back and forth on her feet, waiting for the other girl to talk more. She got a good look at her, noting the darker skin, the jet black hair, and the green eyes. But the girl wouldn't speak. "I'm Morinas!" she called happily.

"Wapouri," replied the girl, not taking her eyes off of the car.

Morinas groaned softly. This was not going at all as she planned. She wanted the girl to notice her. She wanted to help take apart the car, forgetting that the girl had said she was fixing it. She then noticed the girl's toolkit off to her left. The girl wasn't using it at the moment, still using the screwdriver. Morinas grinned. In a flash, she had grabbed the toolkit and taken off across the playground.

"Hey!" called Wapouri, rising to her feet quickly. With the car and screwdriver in hand, she chased after the younger girl.

Morinas looked behind her and giggled. Now she had the other girl's attention. She dashed around the other students, darting behind the playhouse. Here she stopped, certain that Wapouri hadn't seen her. She giggled to herself, looking at the toolkit she now held. When she looked up again, she saw Wapouri with her arms crossed across her chest. She didn't look too happy. 

"Gimme back my toolkit!"

Morinas stood up, and placed the toolkit in her hands right away. "I was gonna give it back cause you're so pretty." She smiled.

Wapouri began to flush. "I… leave me alone you kindergarten kid!" She turned to walk away.

This did not phase Morinas. She tagged along, staying in stride with Wapouri. "Can't I help you? I have my own toolkit too!" She patted her pocket.

Wapouri stopped. "You like fixing things too?"

"Nah! I like taking things apart! That's more fun!"

"That makes a mess of things," remarked Wapouri. "Fixing things helps people."

"Does it count if mom made me fix the sink I took apart?"

"No!"

Morinas giggled. "You're funny, Wapouri. I like you." The whistle for the kindergarten class blew just then and Morinas watched her classmates run to line up. "We'll play again soon, okay!" She turned and ran before Wapouri could give her a reply.


	70. My Blocks or No Blocks

**My Blocks or No Blocks**

Aaeru hummed to herself. She was glad it was finally time for them to choose a play center. She hadn't wanted to do any work in the morning. Reading was no fun. Who wanted to read about flowers? And she hadn't cared to sort and count the pattern blocks either. She'd already been pulled aside by the teacher and spoken to, but she didn't care.

Her eyes were on the blocks. She had decided it would be a good day to build something because it just might fall. If it didn't fall, she could knock it over. That was always the best part. However, when she got to the center, she found Mamiina and Rodoreamon already building. The two had pulled out the wooden blocks and were making a large structure of some kind.

"I wanna play with the blocks too!" called Aaeru.

"We were here first," replied Mamiina.

"So?"

"We could share the blocks," suggested Rodoreamon. "You could have some and we could have some."

"I don't want to do that!" replied Aaeru, her face becoming red.

Mamiina stood up a long block in hand. "Aaeru! Stop it!"

"Can't we just share the blocks?" tried Rodoreamon again.

"No!" called Aaeru. She reached out and pushed Mamiina, who fell backwards onto her bottom. She missed the pile of blocks and so landed on the carpet.

"Hey!" called Mamiina, standing back up quickly. She bonked Aaeru over the head with the block, causing Rodoreamon to gasp in horror.

"Girls!" cried the teacher, too late.

Aaeru began to cry, but she still reached out and smacked Mamiina on the arm as hard as she could. Her hand left a red mark. Mamiina too broke down in tears and dropped the block she held.

"Teacher! They were fighting… they wouldn't share," explained Rodoreamon. "Aaeru was mean and didn't want to share at all!"

The teacher took a deep breath. She wasn't pleased with Aaeru's behavior for the day, and had already begun drafting a letter to send home to her grandfather when he came to pick her up. However, she would not tolerate fighting in the classroom, especially physical violence. "Girls, I'm ashamed of you. Hitting each other like that. And Aaeru, did they offer to share the blocks?"

Aaeru looked down at the floor. "Yes," she answered quietly, sniffling.

"Why didn't you share with them then?"

"Cause I wanted the blocks for me."

"Aaeru, that's not how things work in kindergarten. If we have enough of something, we share with our classmates." She heard giggling from Mamiina. "Mamiina, why did you hit Aaeru with the block?"

"Cause she wouldn't listen. I thought it would help her."

"You can't go hitting someone like that. You could really hurt them." She looked to Aaeru and then to Mamiina. "I'm afraid both of you will need to go see the principal. This is something he needs to know about."

"P-principal?" asked Aaeru.

"Yes, Aaeru. You can talk to him. I'm sure he will think of a way to deal with you two."

"Do I have to go?" asked Mamiina. "I won't do it again, I promise!"

The teacher shook her head. "Yes, Mamiina. You have to go. When you do something like this, you have to go see the principal." She took both girls by the hand. "Let's go." She did not say another word as she walked Aaeru and Mamiina out of the classroom. Both girls hung their heads and Rodoreamon sadly watched them go.


	71. Aaeru's Visit to the Principal

**Aaeru's Visit to the Principal**

Aaeru kicked her feet as she sat in the chair that was too big for her. The teacher had sat her and Mamiina on the large chairs in the reception area. Mamiina had strategically been placed a few chairs down so that the two wouldn't touch each other. Aaeru held a bag of ice on her head, as the teacher had found a goose egg forming from where Mamiina had hit her.

The reception area was not a place she had been before. The secretary paid no mind to them, working on her computer. Aaeru only knew it was a computer, but had never played on one. Her grandpa didn't have one at the house. She was bored. She didn't know how long she'd been waiting. She didn't even know who this principal guy was. She'd tried asking the teacher, but all the teacher had said was that he ran the school and he was the boss.

She looked warily toward the door. That's where the principal was. He was busy at the moment, but he'd be out soon. That's what the secretary had said. She'd also said he wouldn't be happy to see two kindergarten girls who'd been fighting. Aaeru wondered what kind of trouble she'd get into. She didn't have time to think about it anymore because the door slowly opened and out walked a stout man with wavy dark brown hair.

"How about we start with Aaeru?" he called out.

Aaeru slid off her chair. He didn't sound too mean. She walked over to him slowly and looked up at him. He smiled back at her and took her hand. Aaeru was led into his office as he closed the door behind her.

"Sit in that chair in front of my desk," he instructed as he walked around to his own chair and sat down. He watched Aaeru climb into the chair, her legs barely hanging over the edge. "Do you know who I am?" he asked gently.

Aaeru nodded her head. "You're the principal. Teacher says you're the boss of the school."

The principal chuckled. "Your teacher is right. I'm Principal Wauf. I make sure everyone in school is learning and doing their very best. However, you've not been doing your best today, have you?"

"N-no."

"Now, your teacher tells me you haven't had a good day today and that you got into a fight with your friend, hitting her." Aaeru nodded quietly.

"Why haven't you had a good day?" he asked gently. "Did you not want to come to school today?" He listened as Aaeru told him about not liking the story and not wanting to do the math work. For a few moments, he was quiet, looking toward the ceiling. "Aaeru, did you not have a very good night last night? Is that why you don't want to be in school today?"

"I had bad dreams," confessed Aaeru. "They woke me up. I just wanted to sleep at home, but grandpa wouldn't let me. He said I had to go to school and learn."

"Your grandpa is a smart man. Now, your hitting is a troubling issue. You know it's not nice to hit someone, don't you."

"Yes, but she hit me over the head with a block." Aaeru pointed to the top of her head. She realized she'd left the ice pack in the reception area.

"She hit you with a block because you didn't want to share with her. What she did wasn't okay either though."

"Am I in big trouble?" asked Aaeru softly, looking down at the floor.

"Not this time. I don't want to see you doing it again, or we will have a different punishment the next time. After I talk to Mamiina, I want you two to apologize to each other. I don't want to see friends fighting like that."

"Okay," answered Aaeru, nodding.

"Good. Let's take you back out to sit on the chair again. You can put the ice back on your head. I'm sure it hurts." He rose from his seat and took Aaeru by the hand, helping her down from the chair. Together, they walked back into the reception area. Aaeru climbed back into her chair and put the ice pack on her head, sitting quietly.


	72. Mamiina's Visit to the Principal

**Mamiina's Visit to the Principal**

Mamiina waited nervously in the reception area. She'd watched as Aaeru went into the principal's office and was in there, and then she watched her quietly come out. During that time, she had waited for her turn. She hoped Aaeru was getting into trouble for being so bad that day. She tried to strain her ears to see if she could hear any yelling, but she heard nothing.

Her father wouldn't be happy when he found out she had been sent to the principal's office. Any time she got into trouble at home, she was always scolded for doing something the Lord and Lady would not approve of her doing. This time, the Lord would know, and her father would be very displeased. She looked down at the floor, shoulders hunched.

"All right, Mamiina. Your turn," called the principal.

Mamiina slide off her seat. She snuck a peek at Aaeru, who sat quietly in her chair, ice on her head. She wasn't crying. Maybe it wasn't so bad. Or maybe the principal liked her better and she didn't get in trouble. She kept her head down as the principal shut the door behind them.

"Why don't you have a seat in that chair?" suggested the principal, pointing to the large chair in front of his desk. She climbed into it as he sat down.

"Now, Mamiina, do you know who I am?"

"The principal," replied Mamiina softly, looking down.

He chuckled. "You're afraid of me, aren't you? You don't need to be afraid. I'm Principal Wauf."

"But I'm in trouble…and daddy won't like that…"

"How do you know you're in trouble?"

"Cause the teacher brought me here for hitting Aaeru."

"Why don't we talk about that? Why did you hit her?"

"She wouldn't listen to Rodoreamon. She was being mean. She pushed me and I fell onto the floor so I got up and hit her with my block. I thought it might make her go away."

"Did it?"

"No. She only hit me back."

"I see. You know we can't have fighting in the school right? It's one of our rules. Fighting means we aren't doing our very best."

"I know," replied Mamiina dejectedly.

"You're not in trouble you know," he stated softly.

"I'm not?"

"Not this time. It was the first time you've done this. I think you've learned your lesson. However, if you do it again, we'll have to try something else. However, I would like you to apologize to Aaeru for me. She's going to do the same to you. I'd like you two to treat each other better. No more hitting. Can you do that for me?"

Mamiina thought about it for a few moments. She didn't want to apologize to Aaeru. In fact, she thought Aaeru got exactly what she deserved. She didn't want to be good friends with the girl either. An image of her father scolding her popped into mind. She didn't want that either. "Okay," she finally agreed.

Principal Wauf smiled at her. "Good. I'll go get Aaeru then."

Mamiina placed her hands in her lap. Better to get it over with. She watched the principal rise from his seat and go to the door. She didn't want to apologize at all, but she couldn't make her parents mad either. She hoped the day would be over soon.


	73. Friends, Maybe

**Friends (Maybe… But Only 'Cause He Said So!)**

Aaeru looked up when the door to the principal's office opened again. She was curious as to what had happened to Mamiina. She hoped the girl had gotten in trouble 'cause that block had really hurt. The ice wasn't doing much, but it was making her head wet and dripping down the sides of her face.

"Aaeru?" called Principal Wauf. "Can you come back in here please?"

"Okay!" answered Aaeru. She slid off the chair and remembered to grab her bag of ice this time, which was now just a bag of really cold water.

"Let's get rid of the ice too. I don't think you need it anymore." He took the bag from Aaeru and gestured to his secretary, who took it from him.

"But my head still hurts," complained Aaeru.

"I think you'll be fine," answered Principal Wauf, smiling. "Now, I want you to come with me." He guided Aaeru into his office, closing the door once more.

Mamiina peeked her head over the side of the chair, frowning. "Do I have to?" she asked.

"If you can't, then I'll have to call and speak with your father. Such behavior really isn't acceptable in school, Mamiina."

Mamiina sighed. "Fine." She slid off the chair and walked over to Aaeru. "I'm sorry for hitting you with the block."

"You should be! That really hurt!"

"Well you deser—"

Principal Wauf cut them off. "Girls, that's not what we're here to do," he reminded them. "I'd like you to apologize to each other and be friends again."

Each girl glared at the other, but said no more. Principal Wauf pushed them closer together. Finally, they broke the glares.

"I'm sorry for pushing you, Mamiina," said Aaeru. "I was having a bad day." She looked up at the principal. "Is that good?"

He sighed and ignored the remark. "Your turn, Mamiina."

"Fine… I guess I'm sorry for hitting you."

"You guess?" interjected Wauf.

She growled softly. "Fine. I _am_ sorry for hitting you," she mumbled. She felt herself prodded in the back and repeated herself loudly.

"That's better, girls. Now give each other a hug, just like friends would."

Aaeru and Mamiina looked at him in shock, as though his head had turned into a snake. "What?" They both exclaimed.

"Go on."

The girls hugged awkwardly, trying not to touch each other too much. "Only 'cause he said so…" whispered Mamiina softly.

"Yeah… yuck…" agreed Aaeru.

They pulled apart and smiled at Principal Wauf. "All right. Both of you can return to class. I'll let your teacher know you're on your way back," he stated as he opened his office door. Aaeru and Mamiina filed out.

When they were finally out of the office, Aaeru and Mamiina spread far apart. "It's all your fault you know," said Mamiina.

"So? You got in trouble too!"

"I wouldn't have if you would have left me alone. So leave me alone from now on!"

"Fine!"

As they entered the classroom, the teacher gave each of them a smile. By that point, they had stopped talking and had begun acting like good kindergarten students. The issue was far from being resolved, but they wouldn't let the teacher or principal know that.


	74. Rodoreamon's Sing Along

**Rodoreamon's Sing-Along**

The two girls giggled as they built the large block house. It was raining outside, and so recess had been indoors. That was fine for most of the girls who were tired of the cooler weather. Staying inside wasn't so bad. Mamiina had suggested blocks and Rodoreamon had agreed. They had worked together, Mamiina building most of the base and then Rodoreamon would add the smaller blocks on top. She hummed to herself as she did so.

"Rodoreamon, you need some over here," remarked Mamiina, pointing.

Following her friend's instruction, she moved around to the indicated spot. As she looked up to place another block, she spotted Yun at the tables, a large book in front of her. Yun was often by herself and didn't usually play with anyone unless they invited her to join in. She seemed happiest with her books, but she wouldn't turn anyone down. She just never offered to join in on her own. Rodoreamon watched as she got up, taking the book with her.

"I'm gonna go speak to Yun," she declared, standing up.

This surprised Mamiina. "Huh?"

"I'll be back," answered Rodoreamon as she went to intercept Yun. Mamiina only grumbled as she watched her go.

Yun spotted Rodoreamon out of the corner of her eye. She ignored the girl at first, figuring she was going to get something else to add to the block structure that she and Mamiina had been building. She then realized that Rodoreamon was heading for her and was surprised. She smiled.

"Rodoreamon," she greeted warmly.

"Hi, Yun." Rodoreamon looked at the book Yun carried. "What were you reading?"

Yun looked down at her book and then held it up. On the cover was a picture of two Sibyllae, kissing a Simoun gem. "It's about two Sibyllae and praying to the sky to honor Tempus Spatium," she explained.

"Oh… was it good?"

"I liked it. I was going to go put it away though."

The two continued to walk, silence between them. Rodoreamon tried to think of something to say. "How come you always play by yourself?"

"I like to read books. No one else likes to read. They get bored. Books are my favorite thing."

"I could look at books with you," suggested Rodoreamon.

"Really?" asked Yun, her face lighting up.

"Sure."

Both girls entered the library center. Yun put away the book she had taken out, and Rodoreamon began looking for a book to read. No one else was in the center, wanting to play elsewhere instead. Rodoreamon looked for a book she knew. She couldn't read very well yet, not like Yun. She soon spied a song book she knew by heart and eagerly pulled it off the shelf. She settled into one of the bean bag chairs, Yun soon doing the same.

"I like this book," remarked Rodoreamon.

"You like 'Wheels on the Bus'?" asked Yun.

"Yeah. It's funny to sing. I've been learning to sing it after school with my music teacher." She took a deep breath, and began the tune. "The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round. The wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round, all through the town."

"You sing well," complimented Yun.

"Thanks," replied Rodoreamon. "Hey, sing with me! We can look at the book and sing!"

"I don't know…"

Rodoreamon smiled. "It's fun!" She launched into the second verse. "The wipers on the bus go…" She was pleased when she heard Yun's voice join in with her. She happily turned the pages as they sang together, reading through the book at the same time.

"You sing really well," commented Rodoreamon. "That was fun!"

"Thanks," replied Yun, blushing.

"We should sing more! Let's pick another song."

Nearby, Mamiina listened to their conversation. She clenched her fists together, unhappy that Rodoreamon had forgotten all about her. She walked back over to their block house and kicked it over, angry. She fell to her knees and began building a new tower by herself instead.


	75. Green Eyed Monster

**Green-Eyed Monster**

It was much later when Rodoreamon returned to Mamiina, who had begun to pick up the blocks. Recess was almost over and they'd have to clean up soon anyway. She didn't want to play by herself anymore.

"Why are you picking up?" asked Rodoreamon, confused.

"Cause you left and I didn't want to play by myself," remarked Mamiina, not looking at her. She placed the blocks onto the shelf none to gently.

"Are you mad at me?" asked Rodoreamon softly. She knelt down to help Mamiina place the blocks onto the shelf. Mamiina pushed her hands away.

"I can do it!" she said, taking the blocks from her. "Leave me alone."

"But Mamiina—''

"Go away!" interrupted Mamiina, glaring at her. "I can do it by myself. Go have fun with Yun."

"Time to put our toys away girls. We'll get ready for naptime next," called the teacher as she put on the clean up music.

Rodoreamon looked sadly at Mamiina before walking to help Paraietta and Neviril straighten up the kitchen area. She said nothing about what had happened, and felt terrible that Mamiina was mad at her.

At naptime, Mamiina rolled over so she wouldn't have to look at Rodoreamon. Rodoreamon reached out and gently touched her back, trying to get her attention. Mamiina still ignored her.

"Rodoreamon, it's time for naps. Please do not bother Mamiina," scolded the teacher.

Sighing, Rodoreamon gripped tightly to her stuffed doll and tried to sleep. She wanted to cry, and a tear or two slipped out before she drifted off to sleep. The next thing she knew, someone was shaking her gently to wake up. She opened her eyes groggily, feeling tired still. In a daze, she put away her mat and toy. Mamiina had already done so and had taken her spot on the rug. Rodoreamon noticed she sat between Dominura and Aaeru, which meant she didn't want Rodoreamon to sit with her.

The day ended the same way. Rodoreamon didn't know what to do. She thought about it on the way home, stealing glances at Mamiina. Mamiina simply ignored her. She didn't like it, not one bit.

Once home, the girls were allowed to play in the garden for a short period. Mamiina walked around the yard, ignoring Rodoreamon. Rodoreamon couldn't stand it anymore.

"Why won't you talk to me?" she asked, cornering Mamiina.

"I'm mad at you, that's why."

"Why?"

"Cause you left me to go sing with Yun. You never came back!"

"I didn't mean to, but Yun wanted me to play."

"So? You didn't have to. You were playing with me. You even sang with her!"

"But you don't like to sing," replied Rodoreamon.

Mamiina looked away, blushing. "So? I like hearing you sing."

"I can sing for you, Mamiina."

"You don't have to feel sorry for me." She still wouldn't look at Rodoreamon.

Rodoreamon reached out and grabbed her hand, smiling. "I don't. But I want to sing for you! Come on!"

Mamiina was pulled along, and found herself running to keep up. Rodoreamon giggled and then launched into song. "We're going on a bear hunt. Gonna catch a _big_ one! With big green eyes and a fuzzy little tail!" As she sang, she made the motions, giving herself a tail. Mamiina giggled.

"Look over there! It's a candy factory…"

Mamiina soon joined in with the actions. Rodoreamon smiled when she saw her. She continued singing, going through the song until they were chased all the way back home by a bear. Both girls collapsed onto the ground in a fit of giggles, out of breath.


	76. Leave Me Alone!

**Leave Me Alone!**

"Hey Neviril!"

Neviril looked up from her picture. She had been drawing a bunch of flowers. There stood Aaeru, waving her arms about, even though she had that cast on still. Neviril chose to ignore the girl, switching a pink crayon for a red one. She didn't feel like talking to anyone that morning. She was in a bad mood, but kept it to herself.

"Neviril? Hey Neviril!" Aaeru continued her shouting, undaunted by Neviril's lack of response. She moved closer to the table. "Didn't you hear me? I was calling your name!"

"I heard you. I just want to color. Go away."

"But Neviril, come play with me instead. We'll have a lot of fun."

Neviril glared at Aaeru, who only grinned. "I don't want to play with you today."

"Aww don't be sad like that. I'll make you happy again. Watch!" Aaeru started making a series of funny faces, first sticking her tongue out and then giving herself antlers with her fingers. Neviril paid no attention to the girl.

"Geez, Neviril. You act like you lost your best friend or something," stated Aaeru, repeating a phrase her grandpa had told her that morning.

"Maybe I did!" retorted Neviril, growing angry.

"Oh you mean Amuria? Floe told me about her. She said she even kissed you, which is just gross. Why do people gotta kiss anyway?"

"Stop it!"

"What? You like kissing? That's gross, Neviril."

Neviril stood up from the table and faced Aaeru. "Please leave me alone. Stop saying all those things, and don't talk about Amuria like that."

"But she's gone, Neviril. It's okay to."

Neviril had never felt what she did toward Aaeru that very moment. Something inside of her snapped, and she reached forward, placing her hands against Aaeru's chest and pushing the girl as hard as she could. Aaeru's face registered surprise as she fell backwards, landing hard on her behind. Her cast hit the floor and Aaeru cried out in pain before breaking down in tears.

"N-Neviril… why…why did you….p-push me?" she asked between sobs.

Realizing what she'd done, Neviril knelt by Aaeru's side. "Sorry… I'm sorry, but you made me mad!"

"Neviril, I'm surprised at you," remarked the teacher, kneeling by the crying Aaeru.

"But she wouldn't leave me alone!" protested Neviril.

"Then we use our words to tell her that, not our hands."

"I did but she wouldn't listen."

"That doesn't mean that you can push her. You should have come and talked to me. You should be ashamed of yourself. You could have hurt her arm worse than it was."

"S-sorry," replied Neviril, looking down at the floor.

"I think you should go speak with Principal Wauf and talk to him about what happened."

"B-but he'll tell father!"

"I'm sorry, Neviril, but we can't have you pushing others because you got mad. As soon as I'm finished with Aaeru, we'll walk up."

Neviril couldn't believe it. She was being sent to the principal's office. Only bad students went there, and she had never wanted to be a bad student. She didn't want her father to know either. She would probably get in trouble. The day just got worse and worse it seemed.


	77. Neviril's Visit to the Principal

**Neviril's Visit to the Principal**

Neviril kept her eyes on the linoleum floor as she was walked down the hallway to the principal's office. She was ashamed of what she'd done. It'd taken the teacher awhile to get Aaeru calmed down and then she had been taken to the nurse's office to make sure nothing had been done to her arm that was too serious. Neviril wished she'd never bothered her in the first place. If only Aaeru had just let her color her picture as she wanted.

It wasn't fair. It just wasn't fair. She sniffled, trying to hold back her tears. She didn't notice that they'd arrived outside of the principal's office. "Have a seat, Neviril," said the teacher softly before going into the principal's office. Neviril sat in the hard plastic chair, crossing her legs and placing her hands in her lap. She looked down at her hands, not wanting to look at anyone else.

"Neviril? Why don't we come into my office?" suggested Principal Wauf, kneeling down to her level and holding out his hand.

"O-okay," she sniffled. She took the larger hand and slid off the chair. "Am I in really big trouble?"

"Why don't we talk about it? I want you to tell me what happened, all right?" he said as he walked her into his office. He closed the door and then pointed to one of the chairs in front of his desk. "Why don't you sit down so we can talk?"

Neviril did as asked, taking a seat. She placed her hands into her lap once more and looked down. She wasn't sure she wanted to talk about what had happened. He'd just say he was ashamed of her too.

"Now, your teacher tells me you pushed another classmate and she ended up getting hurt."

Nodding slowly, Neviril answered, "She wouldn't leave me alone."

"I'm sure you asked her to, didn't you?"

"Uh huh, but she didn't listen. I just wanted to color my picture and she kept bothering me. Then she kept talking about my friend who moved away. She wouldn't listen to me and I pushed her."

"Neviril, were you in a bad mood today? It seems to me that this isn't like you."

"I woke up and felt mean. I didn't want to do anything, but I had to come to school today so I could learn. I didn't want to though and I didn't want to play with my friends."

"Do you want to hurt your friends like that anymore?"

Neviril shook her head. "No. I was really sorry about pushing Aaeru and making her cry. I didn't mean to do that. I just wanted her to leave me alone."

"I see… what do you think we should do, Neviril?"

"Are you going to tell my father? I don't want to get in trouble with him…" She looked up at Principal Wauf with teary eyes.

"No, I'm not going to tell your father, but here's what I am going to do. I want you to go back to your classroom and apologize to Aaeru for what you did. I also want you to remember that you shouldn't hurt your classmates like that. How does that sound?"

"Good!" answered Neviril, sighing with relief.

When Neviril returned to the classroom, she found Aaeru waiting for her. "I'm sorry I made you mad, Neviril. I didn't mean to. I just wanted to play with you."

Neviril smiled at Aaeru. "I'm sorry too. I was in a bad mood. I didn't mean to hurt you." She leaned over and hugged Aaeru.

"Do you want to play with me?"

"We can color," answered Neviril after a few moments. "I want to finish my picture."


	78. Check Yes Or No

**Check Yes or No**

Early one morning, as Aaeru was putting her things into her cubby, she found a folded piece of paper on top of the shelf. Curious, she pulled it out. She didn't know why a piece of paper would be in her cubby; it hadn't been there the day before when she'd left. As she walked into the play area, she unfolded the piece of paper. There were words on it, and a picture, and then more words. She needed someone to read it to her.

Looking around the classroom, she found the teacher was busy speaking to Paraietta's dad. Aaeru remembered that she wasn't supposed to talk to the teacher when she was talking to someone else. It apparently wasn't a very nice thing to do. She would need someone else, but who could read? Her eyes lit up as she spied Yun walking toward the library center.

"Yun! Hey Yun!" she called, rushing over.

"Yeah?"

"Can you read this for me? I dunno what it says, but it was in my cubby." She held the piece of paper out to Yun, who took it from her.

Yun looked over the piece of paper. She then looked back at Aaeru, and held the note out to her. She pointed to the first part of text. "It says 'Do you like me? Check yes or no.' here." She then pointed to the picture. "That's Floe." Finally, she pointed to the last bit of text. "These are check boxes. One says 'yes' and the other says 'no'. You make a mark to show yes or no to her question. Then she signed her name to it."

"This is a funny note. Why would she send it? She's already my friend."

"I think she wants to know if you _really_ like her."

"Huh?" Yun leaned over and whispered in Aaeru's ear. Aaeru's eyes bugged out as Yun explained the meaning. "What? No way!"

"That's what she wants to know. So if that's how you feel, just color in the box that says 'no'." She pointed to the no box.

Aaeru snatched the paper from Yun. "I will. Why does Floe have to be gross like that?" Yun only shrugged in response.

Without wasting any more time, Aaeru walked to the table where the bucket of crayons were. She picked out a bright blue crayon and quickly colored in the 'no' box. It wasn't very neat, but she figured it would work. Now, all she had to do was find Floe. She quickly spotted the girl playing with some dolls in the kitchen. "Here!" she said, holding out the piece of paper.

Floe took the paper happily and then looked at it. Her face instantly changed as she saw where Aaeru had made her mark. "So you don't… like me?" she asked sadly.

"No way! Yun told me what you meant, cause I thought it was as a friend."

"You're so stupid, Aaeru!" called Floe. "My cousin helped me make it cause I didn't know how to write the words. I wanted it to look good."

Aaeru crossed her arms. "Well I don't like you like that and I don't wanna kiss you!" She walked away, leaving Floe to her own devices.

Later that afternoon, after her nap, Aaeru was playing in the block center with the dinosaurs. She had the Tyrannosaurus Rex and was making him stomp through the small block structures she had made. She growled and roared as he did so, and then she'd set up the small buildings again, repeating the process.

"Hey, Aaeru…" called Floe from behind.

"Huh?" asked Aaeru, not looking up.

"So you don't like me like that, do you?" questioned Floe, kneeling down in front of Aaeru.

Aaeru gave her a look. "I already told you Floe, I don't—" That was when Floe cut her off by leaning forward and kissing her on the lips. It was a quick peck, and that time Aaeru only stared. "Why'd you kiss me? I already told you I don't like kissing."

"Cause I like you. And kissing you is fun. So there." Without another word, Floe got up and walked away. Aaeru tried rubbing the kiss off her lips. Girls like Floe were just stupid sometimes.


	79. Busted!

**Busted!**

"Hey! Who took my doll apart?" Floe's shout was heard across the room.

"Floe! Inside voice!" called the teacher.

"But someone took my doll apart! Look! She's in pieces!" Floe held up an arm and the head.

The teacher rushed over and took a closer look. Floe had brought one of her new wooden dolls that morning. Its limbs and head were attached by screws, and the clothes were painted on its body. "See? They broke her! I can't play doll with body parts!" She started to cry.

Looking around the classroom, the teacher tried to catch a culprit. She knew that to be able to take apart the doll, the student would need to have the means to do so. Out of all the kindergarten students, only one student would be able to do all of that. She spied her sitting in the library center, pretending to read a book while sneaking glances toward the site of the crime. "Morinas, please come here."

Morinas felt her stomach knot up. She had thought the teacher wouldn't guess her at all. She set the book down and slowly walked over to the teacher. "I didn't do that!" she protested.

"Morinas, is your screwdriver in your pocket?"

Morinas shook her head as Floe reached into Morinas' pockets. She triumphantly pulled out a screwdriver. "Here it is!" she cried happily.

"Hey, that's mine!"

"Floe, you aren't supposed to touch other people like that or get into their pockets. I will take care of it," reminded the teacher, sighing. She took the screwdriver from Floe.

"Morinas, why did you take Floe's doll apart? It wasn't your toy to take apart, and I don't think Floe told you you could take it apart."

"Cause she wasn't playing with it and I wanted to see what it looked like if I took it apart," answered Morinas as innocently as she could.

"It looks broken, stupid! I can't play with arms!" interrupted Floe again, waving the arms in the air as she spoke.

"Floe! Please let me handle this!"

"Okay," grumbled Floe.

"Morinas, I'd like you to put Floe's doll back together for her. After that, you're going to go have a talk with Principal Wauf about destroying others' property."

"But I didn't destroy it! I just took it apart!"

The teacher tried another tactic. "Morinas, can Floe put it back together by herself, or play with it as it is?"

"No…I guess not… but maybe she could try to put it together?"

"I'd like you to put her doll back together Morinas. I'm sure Floe would like to play with it. Please stay here at the table and fix it. After you're finished, I want your screwdriver back." She handed the tool to Morinas, who took it and sighed.

"This isn't very fun."

The teacher left the table, making sure to take Floe with her to avoid any more disasters. Morinas sat in the chair, and looked at all the pieces of the doll. She didn't want to put it back together. It looked so much more interesting when it was apart. Reluctantly, she picked up the body and one of the arms. Carefully, she placed it back into the slot and then screwed it in, just as it had been before she'd picked the toy up.


	80. Bee

**Bee**

Neviril stood, observing the flower garden that had bloomed. She crouched down, beginning to pull out some of the weeds that had started to pop up. She knew that the weeds would steal all the nutrients from the flowers if they were left behind. She made sure to get at the roots, using the trowel in her hand. She set the discarded weeds aside in the grass.

"What are you doing, Neviril?" asked Aaeru, coming up behind her. She had dirt smeared on her face.

"Aaeru, how'd you get so dirty?"

"Oh, I was just playing in the dirt and rocks by the climber with Alti. We were making mountains!" She grinned.

"You should be careful to not get your clothes so dirty. Won't your grandpa be mad at you?"

"Nah he won't be mad. He lets me get dirty all I want at home. We made mud balls last night! It was so cool."

"Your grandpa gets dirty too?"

"Yeah! I even dumped one over his head. He dumped one over me cause of that."

Neviril blinked, surprised that Aaeru's grandpa would do that. Her father wouldn't let her anywhere near the mud, let alone get dirty. He'd never play mud balls with her. "I don't think my father would do that," she remarked.

"Don't you play in the mud, Neviril?"

"I'm not allowed, Aaeru. Father says it's not proper."

"Proper? What's that?"

"It's when you have to stay nice and clean and not mess up your clothes."

"Well that's boring. You should come over to my house. You could play mud balls with me! We'd have a lot of fun."

Neviril didn't reply, looking back to the flowers. She knew her father wouldn't let her go to Aaeru's to play mud balls. It wasn't proper, after all. She looked to the flowers again, and knelt down to smell them. Aaeru copied her, taking a big whiff. The pollen tickled her nose, and she sneezed, losing her balance and falling on her behind. Neviril tried to hide a giggle, but found she couldn't hold back. She laughed at the surprised look on Aaeru's face. "You're so funny sometimes!"

Aaeru rubbed the back of her head. "Why's that flower gotta make me sneeze? Now I bet my butt's dirty too."

Neviril giggled some more. "I bet so."

Neviril reached out, and helped Aaeru to her feet. As she pulled Aaeru up, she stepped backward and knocked against one of the flowers. An angry bee buzzed out, but Neviril didn't see it. Aaeru did. "Hey Neviril! Watch out!" Without another word she pushed Neviril to the side and the bee, who had intended to sting Neviril, was now headed for Aaeru. It stung her arm as she smacked at it.

It didn't take long for the pain of the sting to register and Aaeru began to cry. Neviril, who didn't know why Aaeru had pushed her, was ready to yell at the girl when she heard her crying. "Aaeru, what happened?"

"I pushed you 'cause the bee was gonna sting you, and it stung me instead," she sobbed.

Neviril took a look at her arm, noticing the bright red mark. "Let's go to the teacher." She took Aaeru by the hand. "Come on."

Ten minutes later, Aaeru left the nurse's office, smiling. Her face was splotchy from crying, and she sported a new band-aid on her arm. "I'm better!" she told Neviril, who had waited on her.

"Does it hurt?"

"No. The nurse cleaned my arm and then rubbed this stuff on it. She said it was for itching. Then she put the band-aid on 'cause I wanted one. Look! It has stars on it!" She pointed proudly to the band-aid.

Giggling again, Neviril took Aaeru by the hand. "Thanks for saving me. I really don't like bees." She leaned over and kissed Aaeru on the cheek, not minding the dirt.

Aaeru flushed. Why didn't it feel so yuck when Neviril kissed her? It always felt that way when others tried to kiss her. She had no response for Neviril as they walked back to the playground, but she squeezed Neviril's hand. She certainly wouldn't mind saving Neviril from the bees in the future.


	81. Morinas' Visit to the Principal

**Remember back when Morinas took apart Floe's toy? Well this is the follow-up.**

**Morinas's Visit to the Principal**

Morinas kicked her legs back and forth as she sat in the chair with her chin in her hands. She still didn't understand why she was sitting here. All she had done was take Floe's doll apart, but the teacher had made her put it back together. It was as good as new when she'd finished. The teacher had still decided that she needed to go to the principal's office. She didn't even have her toolkit. Not only had the teacher taken her screwdriver, but she'd taken all her tools once she'd found the kit in her book bag.

"Let's see… Morinas is it? Why don't you and I have a talk?"

Sliding off the chair, Morinas looked up at the young man who she had been told was the principal. She had never really seen him before, but some of her other classmates had talked about going to visit with him. Even Neviril had seen him, and she hardly ever got in trouble. She hadn't heard anyone say he was mean, but she was still nervous.

She climbed into the chair in front of his desk and sat quietly. He sat down and settled in, looking at her. "I didn't do anything bad," she stated.

"Everyone says that, Morinas. However, your teacher tells me you took apart another classmate's toy without her permission. Is that true?"

"But she wasn't playing with it!"

"Morinas, you can't take someone's toy just because they aren't playing with it. It's not okay to do that. What if it had broken? Or what if you couldn't have put it back together?"

"But I fixed it?"

"What if you couldn't?" He looked at her a bit strictly, hoping to get his point across. He hadn't had many students like her before, but it was always his goal to get them to see that there was a time to take things apart, and a time not to.

"I don't know…"

"If you'd broken her toy, what do you think would have happened?" He smiled gently. "Think about it."

Morinas scrunched up her face in thought. "Well… I woulda gotten in trouble and lost my toolkit. My mom always takes it from me."

"What about Floe? How would she have felt?"

"Maybe sad? She would have yelled a lot. She's really loud."

"What if it was your toy?"

"My cousin broke my toy once… she broke my Simoun."

"How did you feel?"

"I cried 'cause that was my birthday gift. I really liked it."

Wauf nodded. He had a feeling he would have been able to get through to her. "That's how Floe would have felt if you'd broken her doll."

"Ohh…"

"Morinas, I want you to go back and apologize to Floe. However, if you are back in here again for taking someone's toy apart, we will have to have a very serious talk. I think your teacher will be giving your toolkit to your mother today and speaking to her about the incident."

Morinas left the principal's office feeling down. She didn't mind having visited the principal's office. She was more upset because she'd lost her toolkit and her mother would find out what had happened. It wouldn't be a very pleasant evening for her, that much she knew.


	82. Surprise!

**Surprise!**

Rodoreamon carefully picked out the colors for her drawing, setting them beside her paper. She had chosen to play by herself today, and no one had bothered her when she'd asked politely to be left alone. She had pulled out the crayon bucket and a few pieces of paper. For a time, she had sat staring at her classmates because she didn't know what to draw. Drawing wasn't often something she did.

Time ticked by, and she knew that if she didn't draw something, she'd not finish before the day ended, and she had to. She picked up a dark blue crayon and began drawing. After a few moments, she realized that wasn't quite what she wanted to draw. It just wasn't right. She crumpled up the piece into a ball and set it aside. She pulled a new piece from her stack and began thinking again.

This time she picked up a pink crayon and once more set to working on a new picture, different from the one before. However, a few minutes later, she crumpled that piece up as well. It wasn't right either. She rested her head on one of her hands, frowning. Why was it so hard to draw something good? She needed a good picture before free play ended. She looked to her small pile of crayons. None of them seemed just right. Once more, she observed her classmates. All of them seemed able to draw more easily than her. Her eyes alighted on something and she knew what she wanted to draw. She picked up a brown crayon and pressed it to paper.

She finished her drawing with time to spare. As she set down the pink crayon in her hand, she gazed down at her finished picture. It was colorful, but most of all, the picture itself made her smile. She knew it was perfect, much better than the other attempts. She flipped the paper over and printed her name neatly. Once that was done, she began cleaning up her area. All the crayons were placed back into the crayon bucket. The crayon bucket was then put back on the shelf where it belonged. She took the crumpled balls of paper and placed them into the trashcan.

Once more she picked up her drawing and looked at it. She then looked around the classroom and made her way to the kitchen area. The drawing was tucked behind her back because she didn't want it to be seen right away.

"What do you want?" asked Mamiina, not looking up from her cooking. She was making a mixture of various plastic foods in a large bowl.

"I have something for you," called Rodoreamon softly. She held nervously to her picture.

Mamiina turned around. On her shirt was a large teal sticker. She hadn't been very happy to have to wear it. It made her stand out and everyone had spoken to her. Her name had even been added to the sticker by the secretary. "What?"

"I made you this," stated Rodoreamon shyly, pulling out her picturing and showing Mamiina. On the paper was a crayon drawing of the two girls side by side, playing with some of Rodoreamon's plush toys. "I wanted to make your birthday gift. Happy birthday, Mamiina."

Mamiina took the picture without a word, looking quietly down at the paper. "You made it for me?"

"Yeah. I wanted you to have a birthday gift that was special."

Smiling, Mamiina hugged her. "Thanks." She looked down at the picture again. "I like it."

"Father said I could give you a special birthday dinner too. The cooks will make all your favorites."

Her eyes lit up. "Can I help?"

Rodoreamon nodded. "Yeah."

Mamiina looked around the classroom and then at Rodoreamon. "Can you keep a secret?"

"I'm good with secrets."

"I really like this birthday. But don't tell anyone, okay?"

"Okay!"


	83. Floe's Visit to the Principal

**Is meant to take place right after the pulling of the fire alarm.**

**Floe's Visit to the Principal**

Floe growled softly as the teacher walked her to the principal's office. She didn't want to go to the principal's office. She'd dried up her tears as soon as the teacher told her she'd go visit him. She didn't want to go see that man.

"Floe," began Principal Wauf, "come have a seat. You and I need to talk."

He did not look too pleased with her and she lowered her head. Maybe if she acted really sad and upset, he wouldn't be so mad at her. She lowered her head as she climbed up into the chair he pointed to.

"I didn't mean to," she stated softly, tears welling up in her eyes as she pinched her fingers together to make herself cry.

"Floe, pulling a fire alarm is a very serious offense. It is something I would need to call the police for if it kept happening. Plus, you pulled all of the other students and teachers out of their classrooms for a fake fire alarm. It wasn't even a drill."

"I know…"

"I'm very disappointed that you would pull it like that. What made you want to pull it?" He looked over at her sternly.

"I… I wanted to see what it would do. The teachers said we should only pull it if there was a fire… but I didn't think that was true."

"Did you think your teacher was lying to you?"

"No…maybe… it seemed like fun…"

"Floe, your teacher doesn't lie to you on purpose. She doesn't even lie to you. She's trying to keep you safe."

"But it seemed like she was!" protested Floe.

"Floe!" commanded Wauf. "Your teacher is not going to lie to you."

"Okay…"

"Now, I do need to call your parents and let them know you've done. This is something they have to be made aware of, and no amount of tears is going to change that."

"But I don't want them to know…"

"It has to be done, Floe. I hope that next time you'll listen to your teacher and not think she's going to lie to you."

"Are you sure?" asked Floe, pressing her luck. She wasn't quite sure a teacher wouldn't lie.

"Yes, Floe, your teacher is not going to lie to you," replied Wauf, enunciating every word. He looked at the young girl closely across his desk. She looked back at him with those big blue eyes and "innocent" face, and he knew he was going to be seeing more of her. Her attitude and manner said it all.

"Can I go back to class now?" she asked.

"What are you not going to do?"

"Pull the fire alarm again. I don't want to pull it anymore."

"That's right. All right. Head back to class. I'll have the secretary call down to your classroom to let your teacher know that you'll be coming."

With a final soft growl, Floe slid off the chair and headed for the door. She didn't look back at the principal. She didn't want to speak to him again, especially since he was calling her parents. As she headed down the hallway, she looked toward the fire alarm, which was being reset by some other man she didn't recognize. She wasn't going to pull it again. She didn't want to hear that noise ever again. Still, he was calling her parents and that wouldn't be good. She didn't want them to know; she would really be in trouble when they found out.


	84. Babies

**Babies**

"Are there any other questions?" the teacher held the storybook in her lap. She had just read "The Farmer in the Dell" to the girls, who had happily participated in the familiar song. She looked around at the hands raised in the air. "Aaeru, what's your question?"

"Teacher, where do babies come from?" asked Aaeru, wide eyed and innocent. She placed her hand back into her lap and waited patiently.

"Aaeru, that's not really a question about the story," replied the teacher, hoping to divert the girl's attention to other things. "Why don't you ask another question instead?"

"But I want to know the answer to that question. Where do babies come from?" persisted Aaeru.

"You're stupid, Aaeru. You don't ask that!" interrupted Mamiina.

"Why not?" Aaeru frowned at Mamiina.

"Aaeru, it's just not a question that's appropriate for school," replied the teacher. "And Mamiina, that's not how we treat our friends. Please do not call names."

"What's 'appropriate'?"

The teacher sighed heavily. She should have known that she was going to have to explain the term to the young girl. "Aaeru, appropriate means it's okay to ask anybody. That's something you shouldn't ask in school."

"I just want to know though. Can't you tell me?"

"I can!" shouted Floe. "I can tell you, Aaeru!" She squirmed in her seat and turned to face Aaeru, grinning.

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Floe, you will not tell Aaeru where babies come from," interrupted the teacher. She felt as though she was losing the battle for control in the classroom to a pair of five year olds. She continued to try and defuse the situation. If only she could get them to ask about something else, she would be happy.

"See, first your mom and dad do a special dance. They make lots of noise and dance a lot. Then—"

"FLOE!" shouted the teacher, causing all the girls to wince and hold their ears. "I asked you not to do that.

"But she wanted to know!" protested Floe.

"And I asked you not to tell her. Please go sit at your table spot until you and I can have a talk about your actions and listening to what I've said."

Huffing, Floe got up from her seat on the rug and stomped over to her table spot. Before she could sit down, the teacher spoke up. "Floe, please come back and walk correctly to your table. We do not stomp." Floe turned around and did as asked, exaggerating her steps. However, the teacher decided not to comment and pick her battles wisely. "Now, Aaeru, I'd like you to ask another question. If you can't think of another question, we will move on to the next activity instead."

Aaeru crossed her arms and pouted. "No, I don't have another question. I just wanted to know the answer to that one." She looked down at the rug.

"All right then. Class, let's move to our table spots. I'd like you to sit quietly while I pass out your reading workbooks and we'll work on the pages for today. You are dismissed."

All the girls did as they were asked. The teacher turned around to put the book back with her stack. She felt a tug on her pants leg and turned to address the student. She noticed it was Aaeru. "Yes, Aaeru?"

"Teacher, can you answer my question later?"

The teacher sighed once more. "No, Aaeru. I cannot answer your question. Please go to your seat." She watched the girl do as instructed and had a feeling her grandpa would be the next person that she would ask. She wondered if she should warn him. Then again, letting her catch him off guard could be amusing too. She knew how easily Aaeru could do that to a person.


	85. Mysterious Desk Drawer

**Mysterious Desk Drawer**

Morinas lay on her stomach in the block center, running cars back and forth across the road rug. She was engrossed in her play and didn't hear anyone come up behind her.

"Hey Morinas!" called a voice.

Morinas jumped and turned her head. "Dominura!" The older girl had her arms crossed. Morinas wondered if she'd done something to make her mad.

Dominura knelt down by Morinas and lowered her voice to a whisper. "You wanna help me with something? I need you to help me get into something."

"Like take it apart?"

"Yeah."

"Cool! What do I have to do?" asked Morinas.

Dominura whispered her plan to Morinas. Morinas's eyes lit up. To her, it didn't matter what Dominura wanted to do. All that really mattered was that it involved taking something apart.

The plan was put into action the very next day. The teacher was busy playing in the kitchen with Neviril, Paraietta, Rodoreamon, and Mamiina. She didn't notice Dominura and Morinas slip behind her desk.

"Okay. You need to break the lock," whispered Dominura.

"It'll be easy." Morinas pulled out her toolkit. She'd had to sneak it to school

While Morinas worked, Dominura kept watch on the classroom. She didn't want any of the other students to mess up her plan. She wanted to see what was in the drawer. She had seen the teacher place something inside the drawer and lock it yesterday morning. It wasn't the first time she'd seen it happen. Every week or so, the teacher would put something new in the drawer. She always locked it. Dominura was curious and wanted to find out now. She wanted to find out what the latest item was, ignoring the school rules about not bothering others' property.

She heard a giggle behind her and turned around. "That was too easy!" cried Morinas.

"Shhh!" hissed Dominura. "You're gonna get us in trouble."

Morinas pulled open the drawer. "Let's see what's inside!"

On top of the pile was a photograph. Dominura reached inside and picked it up. Her eyes went wide, and she started shaking. She let the picture flutter to the floor. Morinas, who hadn't seen the picture yet, bent over and picked it up. It had landed with the white side up.

"Hey! You dropped it!" whispered Morinas as she flipped it over in her hands.

Dominura only replied in strange broken sentences. Pic…memories are… orange…"

"What are you saying?" asked Morinas, confused. She looked down at the picture. There was her teacher, dressed in a bikini, standing beside a man wearing a tight speedo. To her, they just looked like funny swimsuits. She didn't understand what was making Dominura shake so much.

"My mom was watching some TV show…the woman in the bikini…her memories… I saw them…"

"What are you _talking_ about?" asked Morinas.

Dominura, however, would not answer her. She continued to shake. Morinas looked down at the picture, thinking that there might have been something she had missed. It was just a picture to her. Nothing more.


	86. Raw Macaroni

**Raw Macaroni**

"Why can't we eat the macaronis?" Limone asked as she made glue drops on her paper.

"You can eat the macaroni," remarked Floe as she placed another piece in the pile of glue on her paper.

"Macaroni has to be cooked first, Limone," replied Yun.

"And then you add cheese to it because that makes it really good," finished Morinas. She carefully placed another piece of macaroni on the paper, working hard to create a replica of a Simoun.

"Can't I eat them like they are now?"

"They wouldn't taste very good. They'd be hard and crunchy," explained Yun.

"Nuh uh! I bet they'd be good!" argued Floe. She held a piece of macaroni in the air and studied it, twirling it in her fingers. "It's probably even tastier than when it's cooked!"

"You're really weird sometimes, Floe," murmured Morinas. She wished she had her Simoun model at the table. She couldn't remember how the front looked. Her tongue peeked out of her mouth as she concentrated harder.

"Well, you're as weird as macaroni!" called Floe, plunking down a glue-covered macaroni on Morinas' paper.

"Hey!"

"Well you deserved it!"

"Well, you're still weird!"

"Girls, I'd like you to work on your art project instead of taunting each other," interrupted the teacher.

"So macaroni doesn't taste good like this?" asked Limone, looking to Yun. She ignored the other two, who were glaring at each other.

"No, it doesn't. You should only eat it cooked."

"Hey guys! Do you have more macaronis? I don't have any left!" called Aaeru, sauntering over to their table.

Yun looked to the large pile each girl at her table had, and then back at Aaeru. "How did you use them all already? We just got started!"

"Well cause…"

"Cause what?"

Aaeru reached out and plucked one of the macaroni pieces from Yun's pile. She popped it in her mouth. "Cause I ate most of 'em!" she called as she crunched on the piece. "They're really good. You should try one!"

"Yun says that tastes bad," stated Limone.

"It does not! It's nice and crunchy! You should try it!"

"O-ohh…."

"Don't do it, Limone. Aaeru is teaching you to do bad things. Don't copy her," reminded Yun.

"It's not bad! Teacher! Yun says I do bad things!" shouted Aaeru.

"I think you need to go to your own table and work on your project, Aaeru. Let's…" The teacher's voice faded away as she guided Aaeru back to her table.

Limone picked up one of the macaroni pieces in front of her. She looked at it closely, and wondered what it really did taste like. She looked to Yun, who was working on gluing some more pieces on her project. Quickly she popped it into her mouth. As soon as she crunched down, she realized that Yun had been right, and Aaeru had been wrong.

"You didn't listen to me, did you?" asked Yun, head still bent over her project. She had heard the crunch of pasta. Limone was too embarrassed to respond.


	87. What Picture?

**What Picture?**

"Hey! What are you doing?" called Floe loudly, suddenly appearing behind the desk.

"Nothing!" replied Morinas, quickly hiding the picture behind her back.

Floe looked suspiciously from Morinas to the shaking Dominura. Something was going on here, and she wanted to know exactly what it was. "Doesn't look like nothing! What's behind your back?" She moved around, trying to sneak a glimpse.

Morinas dodged Floe's attempted peeking. "Nothing! Nothing's in my hands!"

"You're lying! You're hiding something!" Floe's voice kept getting louder. She placed her hands on her hips and leaned over until she was next to Morinas' face.

"Shhh! You're gonna make the teacher come over here if you get too loud!" Morinas snuck a peek around the corner of the desk, seeing if the teacher was still in the kitchen area. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the teacher had not moved.

"If you don't show me what's behind your back, I'm gonna go tell her," threatened Floe.

Morinas didn't have many choices, and Dominura was no help at all. She didn't want Floe to go tell the teacher on her because then the teacher would know she'd brought tools to school again. Reluctantly, she pulled the picture from behind her back and held it out. "This is what we found in her desk drawer."

Floe's eyes went wide. "They don't have much clothes on!" she exclaimed as she looked at the picture.

"I know, right? It's—hey!"

Floe ran off, waving the snatched image high in the air. "Look at this! It's teacher and a weird man and they don't have a lot of clothes on!"

Heads turned to Floe as she shouted loudly. Some students started to move to Floe to see what she was talking about, such as Aaeru dragging Limone along. The teacher had gone visibly pale, knowing exactly what the kindergartener was referring to. The teacher rose and quickly crossed the room, grabbing the picture from Floe.

"Floe, how did you get this? It was locked in my…" She had caught sight of Morinas peeking around the corner of her desk. It all clicked as Morinas quickly disappeared once more. "Floe, did you take this from Morinas?"

"Yeah! She wouldn't show me what it was so I took it."

Pursing her lips, the teacher headed for the desk and found the shaking Dominura behind it. "Dominura!"

Dominura, however, was still shaking and did not the teacher's call. She had her hands on her head and was looking into the opened drawer. Her eyes focused on something that wasn't there. She mumbled, but it was so soft and incoherent that it couldn't be understood.

The teacher realized that many things had come into play, and that she'd have to settle Dominura before she could deal with Morinas and Floe. She couldn't imagine how Dominura was involved in the fiasco, but she could easily figure out how the other two were involved. One thing was for sure—she would not involve Principal Wauf. She turned red just imagining herself trying to explain why Floe was so interested in the picture to begin with.


	88. Aaeru's Accomplishment

**Aaeru's Accomplishment**

Aaeru carefully wrote the note in her best handwriting, copying what her grandpa had written for her. She hadn't had time to copy it the night before, and had chosen to use her free choice time to finish it. She made neat, bold letters that squiggled here and there. It had taken her all year to be able to write like this, but it was worth it. Finally, she was finished. She compared her finished note to the original one. She couldn't see anything she'd left off. Aaeru crumpled up the original and tossed it in the trash. She didn't need it anymore.

Returning to the table, she picked up her written note and folded it carefully, or as carefully as a six year old could fold a piece of paper. As she looked around the room, she noticed all the other girls busy at play. Now was the time to deliver the note without being seen. She snuck off to the cubbies and slipped the note into one particular cubby. Now all she had to do was wait.

It wasn't until after naptime that day that she got a reply to her note. After naps each girl would put away the blanket and pillow they had used in their cubby. It was one of the few times during the day where each girl was at her cubby and could get into it. The teacher had thought that it was such a nice afternoon and had taken the girls outside to have an extra recess.

Aaeru hung upside down on the jungle gym, holding her shirt up so it wouldn't fall over her face. She spied Neviril walking toward her and wondered if she wanted to talk about the note. "Aaeru, did you put this in my cubby?"

"Yeah, I did."

"So it was you! I didn't know who it was because you didn't sign your name to it."

Aaeru flushed red, which didn't show very well, as her face was already red from hanging upside down for so long. She had meant to sign her name to the note, but it had slipped her mind. She flipped herself right side up and dropped from the bar. "I meant to sign my name."

"What does it say?" asked Neviril. "I can't read all of it."

"Well it says "Do you like me?" and then there are boxes to mark yes or no," explained Aaeru, pointing to the paper.

"Why did you write a note about it?" Neviril looked confused.

"Cause… cause… I wanted to know."

"Of course I like you. I thought you knew that?"

"I do but… Floe… she told me I should send you a note like that." Aaeru frowned. This wasn't going as she thought it might. She had thought Neviril would mark one of the boxes and that would be it. She didn't realize that she had messed up Floe's directions and not paid too much attention to her. "I know you're my friend." Aaeru plopped onto the grass by the jungle gym. "Are you my best friend though?"

Neviril carefully held her dress under her as she sat down beside Aaeru. "We can be best friends, Aaeru."

Aaeru's face lit up. "Really?"

Reaching out and holding Aaeru's hand, Neviril replied, "Yes, really. I like you, Aaeru. You're funny and you make me laugh. Plus, I like making mudballs with you."

Aaeru grinned from ear to ear. "I like making mudballs with you too." It had taken her nearly all year, but she had finally accomplished her goal. She was best friends with Neviril.


	89. Hotdog Fish and Notes

**Hotdog Fish and Notes**

"Hey, Aaeru, what are you doing?" asked Floe as she plopped into the chair next to Aaeru.

Aaeru looked up at her classmate and then back to her paper. She was busying drawing a picture of the fishing trip her grandpa had just taken her on. He had helped her to catch a fish that was nearly as big as she was and she was trying to draw it so she could show him. "I'm drawing a picture."

"What's that? A hotdog?" questioned Floe, glancing more closely at the paper.

"No! It's a fish I caught."

"Did it try to eat you up?"

"No! Why would it do that?"

"Cause fish eat you," stated Floe matter-of-factly.

"They do not! My grandpa says we eat the fish."

"Well, my cousin got eaten by a fish. It was really big and jumped outta the water. It opened its big mouth and ate her whole!" Floe illustrated the story with her hands.

"You're a liar, Floe. That didn't happen."

Floe pouted as Aaeru continued to ignore her. She watched the girl put away the brown crayon and pick up an orange one, all without ever once glancing at her. She thought hard, trying to think of a new topic. A new idea popped into mind, and she grinned.

"Hey, do you like Neviril?"

"Neviril's my friend. She came over to my house and stayed the night."

"No but do you really like her? Like you wanna hold her hand and kiss her?"

"Why would I wanna kiss her?" Aaeru still didn't look up as she now used the yellow crayon.

"Because you like like her."

"I dunno. Why do you care?"

"Cause I'm your friend. You know, you should send her a note. You can ask her and see what she says." Floe turned and looked around the classroom, searching for Neviril. She spotted her in the library center, browsing for a book.

"What if she does?"

"She'll wanna kiss you of course. That means she really likes you." Floe didn't notice that Aaeru had bent under the table to retrieve a fallen crayon and was more focused on grabbing the crayon than what she was saying.

"Uh huh," answered Aaeru, sitting back up in her seat.

Floe turned back around. "It's like the note I gave you before. You can do that and see what she says."

"But I don't know how to write it down."

"Your grandpa can help you. I had help with mine!"

"Well… okay. I guess I can ask grandpa to help me write it tonight." She finished coloring with the yellow crayon and then placed it back in the bucket. "Do you like my picture?" She held it up for Floe to see.

"It still looks like a hotdog," stated Floe as she stood and walked away from the table.

"It does not!" retorted Aaeru. She looked back down at her picture and studied the fish. Maybe Floe just didn't know what a real fish looked like.


	90. Toy Revenge

**Toy Revenge**

Floe grinned to herself when she spotted the toy Simoun just sitting on the table. Morinas was nowhere to be seen, having been called to the office. Floe didn't know if it was because she was in trouble or what, and she really didn't care. She had been waiting for an opportunity like this for a long time. She was still mad that Morinas had taken her doll apart, even though she'd later put it back together. It didn't matter.

Now came the hard part. What to do with the Simoun? She knew there wasn't much time and that she'd have to act quickly. On the next table was a huge pile of clay that the teacher had set out for the girls to play with. She then spotted the yardstick on the teacher's desk. They'd used it that morning to measure how tall they were. Now, it was just sitting there, and the teacher was in the block center with Aaeru.

Quickly, she grabbed the yardstick and the clay, taking both items to the table with the toy Simoun. She turned so that her back was to the teacher, not wanting the teacher to figure out what she was doing just yet. She took a hunk of clay and pressed it against the bottom of the Simoun. She then took the yardstick and shoved it into the bottom of the clay. Finally, she added more clay around the yardstick to make sure it'd hold the Simoun securely. Holding up the finished product she grinned.

"What's that?" asked Limone, pointing.

Floe jumped. She hadn't expected anyone to see what she had been doing. "This? It's a…" She thought quickly, racking her brain for a cool name. "Simoun stick! You can play with it and stuff."

"Isn't that Morinas' Simoun?"

"Maybe."

"She's gonna be mad…"

"Hmph! Well good then. She deserves it after she took my doll apart!" Floe marched away from Limone and didn't look back.

"Hey, that's my toy!"

Floe cringed. She knew Morinas was back and her fun was just about over. She decided to get the most out of it while she still could. She took off running through the classroom, waving the Simoun stick around in the air.

"Floe, you need to…" the teacher trailed as she realized that Floe held something in her hands and that Morinas was chasing her. "Morinas! Slow down. We don't run inside."

"She's got my Simoun and won't give it back!" yelled Morinas. She lunged after Floe, quickly catching up to her.

Floe dodged around Aaeru's block tower and slid on the floor. At the same time, the Simoun became unstuck from the clay and fell from the yardstick. It smashed against the floor, and broke into three pieces. Floe looked down in shock. "That wasn't supposed to happen…" she whispered.

Morinas burst into tears. "My Simoun! You broke my Simoun!" She cried loudly, face bright red.

"I didn't…I didn't mean to break it…" She could only keep looking at the broken toy, never taking her eyes off the pieces. She really hadn't meant to break the toy. She only wanted to get back at Morinas, but Morinas had fixed her toy. Getting back at her friend didn't feel like such a good idea anymore.


	91. Zero, Please

**Zero, Please**

Paraietta looked down at her tray with disgust. She hated today's lunch. It always made the cafeteria smell funny and it just tasted weird. She liked this meal better when her father made it for her. The cooks here couldn't make it right. At least the macaroni and cheese was better.

"What's wrong, Paraietta?" asked Neviril as she looked over at her friend. She was carefully squeezing the ketchup packet that the teacher had just helped her to open.

"I don't like this," replied Paraietta miserably. She picked up her fork and poked at the macaroni instead.

"You don't like macaroni and cheese? But you eat it every time you come visit me."

"No, I don't like the fish sticks. They taste funny."

Neviril looked very confused now. "But you eat those too. You always have seconds."

"Those aren't school fish sticks. School fish sticks never taste any good, not even with extra ketchup on them."

"Ohh…but you'll be hungry if you don't eat your lunch."

"There's still fruit and the macaroni and cheese. I'll be fine." She blushed to know that Neviril was worrying about her. It made her feel good.

"Hey Neviril look at my monster teeth!" called Aaeru from across the table. She had taken three of her fish sticks and stuck them in her mouth so that they stuck out at an angle.

"You're so funny sometimes, Aaeru!"

Paraietta watched as Neviril suppressed a giggle. She clenched her fist together. Aaeru was always interrupting her time with Neviril. It wasn't fair. She wished she could make Neviril laugh like that. Aaeru could do it so easily.

"Look, Paraietta! Do you like my monster teeth? They're crunchy!"

She would reply and tell Aaeru what she shouldn't be doing. Maybe then the girl would stop and Neviril wouldn't pay attention to her. Then Paraietta could keep talking with her. "No. You shouldn't do that with your food. You're supposed to eat it."

"Okay!" Aaeru crunched down on the "teeth" and they fell to her tray. One bounced off the edge and slid across the table to stop in front of Paraietta's tray. "Oops!"

Neviril by now found it very hard to cover her giggles with her mouth. This frustrated Paraietta. Not only that, but one of the nasty fish sticks, half-eaten, was near her tray. "That's not funny!" she shouted angrily.

Both Aaeru and Neviril stopped laughing and looked at her. Paraietta flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't meant to have an outburst like that. "Get your fish stick away from me," she muttered.

"What's wrong with you?" asked Aaeru as she retrieved the fish stick and popped it into her mouth. 

"None of your business!"

"What's wrong, Paraietta?" asked Neviril softly. She placed a hand on her friend's arm.

Paraietta sighed. "Nothing. I didn't mean to do that. I just don't like fish sticks, that's all." She looked back at her tray and picked up her fork again. She stabbed some of the fruit and popped it into her mouth. Throughout the rest of lunch, Aaeru left her alone and Neviril gave her worried looks. Fish stick day never did bring anything good.


	92. Race Me If You Can

**Race Me If You Can**

"Hey Aaeru!"

Aaeru looked down from her spot at the top of the jungle gym. There stood Paraietta, fists clenched. She wondered what the girl wanted. She looked angry, and Aaeru had no idea what she could have done wrong to make her mad. "Huh?" she called back.

"Why do you wanna be best friends with Neviril? You're always trying to."

Touching a finger to her chin, Aaeru pondered her answer. "Cause I do!"

"That's not an answer!"

"Is so! Besides, I just do. She's nice and everybody likes her."

She watched as Paraietta growled in reply. "I wanna race you!"

"What kinda race?"

"Come down here and we'll talk."

Aaeru scurried down the jungle gym, curious to see what Paraietta had in mind. She had never raced anyone before at school. It sounded fun though. "Okay, I'm here. What kind of race?"

Originally, Paraietta had intended to do a race up one side of the jungle gym and down the other, but Aaeru seemed very adept at climbing it. It would do no good to pick something she was good at. She thought for a moment, trying to figure out something she was good at instead. She thought of PE class and the games they played. Then, an idea hit her. "We'll race around the playground." She continued to explain the race to Aaeru, making sure the girl understood her directions.

The race was set up. By the time everything was ready, the entire kindergarten class had gathered to watch the two race. Floe was to be the starter.

"Ready?"

Aaeru and Paraietta got into position. Paraietta grinned to herself. She was the fastest runner in the kindergarten class. Aaeru never beat her in PE races. She knew this would be too easy.

"Set… Go!"

Both girls took off quickly, but it was Paraietta who got a clear lead. She was easily ahead of Aaeru, who ran as fast as she could to try and catch up. Paraietta grinned. It was easy to see that she would be the winner of this race too, just like all the others. She looked behind her, and saw that Aaeru was further back than before. Easy.

Aaeru tried to go faster, but found she still couldn't catch up to Paraietta. She still didn't know why Paraietta wanted to race her, but she wanted to do her best. She looked over to the play house and caught sight of Neviril's head. She was watching them race. Aaeru wanted to do well in front of Neviril, and so began to try and run faster. To her surprise, she found herself catching up to Paraietta slowly but surely.

They were more than half way around the race area when Paraietta looked back again. She couldn't believe it! Aaeru was catching up to her and wasn't that far behind at all. How had she done it? She considered the answers to these questions as Aaeru ran alongside her.

"Hi, Paraietta!"

She didn't answer. She wouldn't answer. She could see the finish line up ahead. Floe stood by it, waving at them both. She could still make it in time. She could…

"Bye, Paraietta!" called Aaeru as she edged ahead.

It didn't make sense! She watched as Aaeru crossed the finish line just before her. Aaeru had actually won the race. She had actually beat Paraietta, the fastest runner in kindergarten. Paraietta was speechless.

"You beat me!"

"Uh huh! That was fun. Let's do it again sometime, okay?" Aaeru then ran off, heading back to the jungle gym.

"You were really fast today," called another voice. Paraietta turned to see Neviril beaming at her.

"But Aaeru still beat me. I was so close to winning!"

"Wasn't it fun though?"

"I guess so…" mused Paraietta. At any rate, she would try to do better the next time around. Next time, she wouldn't just race Aaeru just because the girl wanted to be best friends with Neviril. No, Aaeru had proven herself worthy of that. She'd race to prove that she was still the fastest, no matter what.


	93. A Tale of a Prince, Princess, & Dragon

**You didn't think these were done, did you? Yes, I achieved 92 for Summer of Simoun, but before the event ended, I completed 100 of them. After the 100th one, look for another note by me.**

**A Tale of a Prince, a Princess, and the Evil Dragon**

Limone rested a finger against her chin as she browsed the books in the library center. She wasn't sure what book she wanted to look at. She'd already read or looked at all the ones that dealt with Simoun. None of the others appealed to her. She sighed. Maybe she would just go color instead.

"What are you doing?" asked a voice.

Limone jumped, not expecting anyone to come up behind her. "Looking for a book," she answered softly.

"Find anything good?" asked Aaeru, now standing beside her. She spared a quick glance over the books. "Doesn't look like anything good."

"Can't find something I want."

Turning, Aaeru grinned at her. "I can tell a better story than what's in any dumb book!"

"Books aren't dumb," replied Limone. She spoke too softly for Aaeru to hear, and even if Aaeru had heard, she didn't care.

Aaeru plopped down on the pile of beanbag chairs and patted the spot beside her. "Come on! I'll tell you a good story."

Slowly, Limone made her way to the beanbags, still uncertain about the idea. No sooner had she sat down than Aaeru began her tale. "Once upon a time, there was a prince. The prince's grandpa told her about this princess who was sad because she was locked away in a tall tower. She couldn't escape."

"Why not?"

"Because the tower didn't have any stairs. Plus, an evil dragon kept her there. The dragon wouldn't let anyone else play with her, ever."

"That's not a nice dragon."

"I know, right? So the prince wanted to play with the princess. She ran across the field behind her house 'cause the tower was that close. When she got there, the dragon was sleeping."

"Did she get to see the princess?"

"The princess saw her and was happy, but the dragon woke up and was mad, really mad. She growled really loud too." Aaeru did her best dragon roar, holding her hands close to Limone's head.

Limone shrunk back in surprise and then started to giggle. "Then what?"

"The princess told the prince that her name was Neviril and that she wanted to play, but the dragon wouldn't let her. The dragon was named Paraietta-Dragon. The prince asked nicely, but the dragon roared again. She was very mad. The prince didn't know what to do to help save Neviril. The prince had to think really hard."

"What did she do?"

"Well the prince ran all the way back home because her grandpa had just made fresh cookies. So she took the plate of cookies and ran back to the tower. Paraietta-Dragon liked the cookies so much that she let Neviril out of the tower."

Limone clapped. "Yay!"

"The princess was really happy. The prince was too because now she could play with the princess. She wanted to play mudballs. The princess had never played that before, but the prince showed her how. They got all muddy and messy and lived happily ever after. The end!"

"Good story."

"Of course it was! It was better than any dumb book." Aaeru grinned, proud of herself for telling such an amazing story."

"Tell another?"


	94. Muddy Water Blues

**Muddy Water Blues**

"Wait, Nee-san! Wait for me!" Alti chased after her sister, who ran further ahead of her on the playground. She had worn her nice party dress with the shiny black shoes. It was brand-new and she had wanted to show it off. She had somehow convinced her mother that this was an ideal plan.

It had rained the day before, but the playground mud had dried up, save for a few spots. The teacher had warned the girls to stay away from the few remaining puddles, which were marked with bright orange cones. The girls had quickly nodded in agreement before they were dismissed to play.

Kaimu paused in her running and waited for Alti. "Hurry up, slowpoke!"

"I'm not a slowpoke, stupid!"

"Go faster then!"

Alti frowned. She hated when her sister called her names. "Hey Nee-san, I bet I could race you to the slide," she suggested.

"A race?"

"Yeah. Ready…go!" Alti took off, throwing Kaimu off when she didn't say "set". Kaimu tried to catch up, usually the faster of the two.

"I win!" shouted Alti, a big grin plastered on her face as she gripped the ladder. She looked back at Kaimu, who frowned as she finally caught up.

"You cheated!" accused Kaimu. "You said it wrong!"

"I did not! I won, fair and square!" Alti climbed up the ladder. "You're just jealous."

"This is why I don't play with you."

"Alti settled herself at the top of the slide, ignoring her sister. She knew she had won. She gripped the handrails, knowing she wanted to go really fast. Grinning, she pushed off, hoping that her Nee-san saw how fast she was going. Her face quickly changed when she slowed right at the bottom of the slide and the water seeped into her dress.

Immediately, Alti burst into tears. The water was cold on her skin and made her feel gross. Worst of all, she had gotten her nice new dress all dirty. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed.

"That's what you get when you cheat!"

"I-I d-d-didn't ch-cheat," stuttered Alti through the tears.

For a few moments her sister gazed at her from the top of the slide. She soon climbed back down the ladder and walked around to Alti. "Mom told you not to wear your dress," she reminded as she pulled her sister to her feet.

"Is it bad?"

Kaimu looked at Alti's backside and nodded. "Yeah, it is. It's all brown and wet. It looks like you had an accident."

"It's all ruined now!" Alti began to cry louder.

Kaimu only sighed. She didn't want to stay, but she didn't like seeing her sister crying like this. It always made her feel bad. She leaned over and hugged Alti. "Maybe mom won't be so mad this time if you tell her it was an accident," she suggested.

"You think so?"

Nodding, Kaimu answered. "Sure. It's better than lying."

"Oh… okay."

"Let's go to the teacher and tell her what happened. Maybe she can get you some new clothes so you don't feel so yucky."

"Thanks, Nee-san. You're the best!"


	95. Leaping Lizards!

**I have no idea why I stopped uploading SK drabbles here. I did reach my 100 goal before summer ended and have just finished the 103 drabble. I'm so sorry that I failed to keep up, so I'm going to post a few more in addition to this one to make up for it!**

**Leaping Lizards!**

Yun sat beneath the large tree, enjoying the shade from the very warm afternoon sun. It was much cooler beneath the tree. Plus, it meant that the sun didn't glare off the pages of her books. She flipped through her most recent book, a new one the teacher had bought for the classroom. It was sorta funny, telling the story of a worm through a diary. She became engrossed in reading it, ignoring the shouts and cries of her classmates playing all around her.

Movement out of the corner of her left eye caught her attention, and she turned her head to look. There sat a tiny green lizard. For a moment she thought it was looking back at her. Her book slid down her legs, forgotten.

Tentatively, Yun reached out her hand, extending a finger. She found the skin to be an interesting texture. The lizard crept forward, gripping her finger. She picked up the lizard, cradling it in her hands. It sat there and she smiled. She wanted to show the other girls.

As she looked up, she spotted Rodoreamon sitting on the swings, alone. Mamiina had been absent that day, and Rodoreamon had not been very happy. Her favorite plush doll sat in her lap as she swung slowly. Yun decided that she would show Rodoreamon the lizard to cheer her up.

"Rodoreamon, look what I found," spoke Yun softly as she made her way over to the swing set.

Rodoreamon slowed her swing, spotting Yun's cupped hands. "What is it?" she asked.

Yun held out her hands. As soon as Rodoreamon got a look at the green lizard, she screamed bloody murder. Yun jumped in fright, not expecting such a reaction. She nearly dropped the lizard.

"Get it away! Get it away! Get it away!" shouted Rodoreamon, taking her plush and backing away as quickly as possible.

"What's wrong?" Yun looked down at the lizard and then back to Rodoreamon. She didn't get it.

"That's gross, Yun! Get that yucky lizard back on the ground!"

"But-"

Rodoreamon didn't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation. She turned and ran off before Yun could say another word. It seemed strange to Yun that it would scare Rodoreamon so much. She looked around the playground, wondering who else she could show her discovery to. She spotted the teacher walking near the middle, keeping an eye on her students. She wondered if the teacher would freak out just as Rodoreamon had.

She walked over to the teacher, keeping her cupped hands close to her chest. "Teacher," Yun called softly. "I want to show you something."

The teacher turned around, kneeling to Yun's level. "What is it, Yun?"

Yun held up her hands. "Look at the lizard I found." She waited for the shriek or scream, but it never came.

The teacher smiled at her. "That's a wonderful lizard, Yun. Where did you find him?"

"By the tree where I was reading."

When Yun returned to her spot by the tree, she got on her knees and lowered her cupped hands to the grass. The lizard crept forth until he was out of the safety of her hands. Yun watched him disappear between the blades, confused as to the reactions she received. Rodoreamon screamed in fright and the teacher was interested, yet both were girls. She didn't understand it. She started thinking what the other girls might have done if she had showed them.


	96. Bubble, Bubble

**Bubble, Bubble**

She pulled the tiny piece of candy from inside her jumper. She'd snuck it from the candy bowl that morning because her mom wouldn't let her have it for breakfast. Now she unwrapped the pink paper surrounding it, and quickly popped it into her mouth. She slipped the paper wrapper back into her jumper.

Limone watched the other girls on the playground, hiding near the larger play structure. The school rules said gum wasn't allowed, but she wasn't in the school right now. It was okay to chew the gum outside. She chomped on the piece, feeling the hard ball become soft and stretchy in her mouth.

"Why are you hiding, Limone?"

She nearly swallowed the gum. "D-Dominura!"

"Are you eating something?" Dominura studied her closely. "What's in your mouth?"

"Nothing…"

"There is something! What is it?"

"Nothing's in my mouth!"

"It's candy! Where'd you get candy?"

Shyly, Limone turned away. She continued to chew softly on the gum, hoping that Dominura wouldn't see. However, Dominura moved around her. "It's gum! Can I have some?"

"No…"

"Why not? You don't wanna share?"

"No more," replied Limone, gesturing to her jumper pocket.

For a few moments, Dominura seemed to ponder this answer. She then grinned and asked, "Can you blow a bubble?"

"A…bubble?"

"With your gum."

"No. Don't know how."

"I can teach you."

Dominura began showing Limone how she should stretch the gum out with her tongue and then blow into it. It confused Limone to watch her because she didn't understand what Dominura meant. Finally, she was able to blow a tiny bubble and she pointed when the tiny bit of pink poked out from her mouth.

"Now you've got to blow it bigger!"

Limone sucked the gum back into her mouth and nodded. "Okay."

"Just blow it really slowly so that it doesn't pop and you'll get a big bubble."

Once again, Limone began to attempt blowing a bubble. She followed the exact instructions Dominura had given her and made sure to blow slowly. Her eyes went wide as the bubble became bigger and bigger. It was nearly as big as her head. She had never seen such a big bubble before. She pulled it out of her mouth and held it up to Dominura. With a hesitant finger, she reached out to touch the gum.

_POP_

Dominura screamed as the pink bubble smattered all over her. It covered her face and part of her clothes, but it mostly covered her hair. She burst into tears when she realized that the gum was stuck and simply wouldn't come out. Limone wasn't sure what to do, but Dominura's crying created a scene of curious girls and one upset teacher.

The next day Dominura returned to school looking very different. Instead of her shoulder length hair that curled slightly at the end, she had a short cut that hugged closely against the side of her head. It was even shorter than Kaimu's. She kept to herself, not speaking to any of the other girls. Limone tried to play with her, but Dominura only walked away. Limone didn't understand it.


	97. Plushes and Mud

**Plushes and Mud**

She held tightly to her plush as she swung. Her teacher had let her bring it out to recess and she couldn't have been happier. Higher and higher she went, feeling the breeze in her face. The air was cool, and it had just rained the night before. Parts of the playground were still muddy, and she didn't want to go near those areas because she hated getting dirty.

Her legs continued pumping, and she found it more difficult to hold on to the chains and her plush at the same time. She didn't want to stop swinging though and so did her best to hold tightly. At one point, she felt the swing jerk and quickly grabbed tightly to the chain. As she went down, she noticed her plush flying through the air. She frantically began trying to slow the swing and watched as the plush landed in the large mud puddle with the cones around it, cones meant to keep the students away.

As soon as the swing came to a stop she took off running, hoping beyond hope that her plush wasn't covered in mud and dirty. It was too much to hope for in the end. She looked at the mud spattered all over the side she could see and knew that if she turned it over, she'd find mud all over the front of the plush too. Tears rolled down her face. Now she wouldn't have anything to sleep with at naptime, and she wouldn't have anything to play with either.

"Why are you crying, Rodore?"

Rodoreamon turned around. Only one person ever called her that name. "My…my plush… flew into the mud."

"But you can get it cleaned, right?"

"Y-yeah…but not before nap!"

Mamiina nodded. She knew that Rodoreamon didn't sleep without her plush toy. It was always with her, even when Mamiina slept over in her room. "Don't you have another plush to sleep with?"

"I want that plush!"

Frowning, Mamiina looked back to the mud-soaked plush. She reached in and picked it up by an unstained part of the hand. Mud dripped off the end. From what she knew about cleaning, it would take a lot of washing to get all the mud out. She could hear sobs behind her and dropped the plush to the ground.

"Rodore, don't cry," she whispered. "It's all right." But Rodoreamon continued to cry. She frowned. She hated when Rodoreamon cried so much. She didn't know what to do with her when she got this way. "You want my teddy bear?"

"Your bear? But that's yours."

Mamiina nodded. She often slept with her teddy bear, but she kept it as best a secret as she could. She didn't like the other girls to know that she had a plush, too. "You can sleep with it if it makes you feel better."

Rodoreamon sniffled and wiped her eyes. "You're sure?"

"I just want you to stop crying."

"O-okay. Thanks, Mamiina."

Taking Rodoreamon's hand, Mamiina smiled. "You can have him when take our nap then. I'll be fine." She leaned up and kissed Rodoreamon's cheek. Together, the two took her plush toy to the teacher and explained what had happened. Rodoreamon hid shyly while Mamiina talked to the teacher, still holding tightly to the girl's hand.


	98. Dance With a Pair

**Dance Between a Pair**

"All right girls. We're finished with our group dances. I want you to spend the rest of class dancing with a partner." The music teacher walked over to the CD player and put on a nameless tune, a waltz of sorts. It was something many of the girls had never heard before. Slowly, each kindergartner began pairing off.

All except for Aaeru, that is. Normally the girl would immediately gravitate to Neviril. However, she also didn't want to dance. She didn't want to move to music. The teacher always made her dance and she just didn't get why they had to. She'd much rather play the instruments instead, especially the drum.

"Can't I just play the drum?" she asked.

"No, Aaeru. I'd like you to find a partner to dance with."

Aaeru crossed her arms. It wasn't fair. She just didn't want to dance with anyone or dance at all. She growled softly.

"Aaeru, will you be my partner?"

Looking up, Aaeru saw Neviril standing before her. She had thought Neviril would go with Paraietta, but no, Paraietta had paired up with Kaimu. "I… guess so… but… I don't like dancing."

"It's fun to dance. I take dance lessons after school."

"Maybe for you it is. I play mudballs after school. That's way more fun."

"This is fun too. I think you'd like it."

"No way."

Neviril reached out and took Aaeru's hand. Aaeru looked down in surprise. Neviril took her other hand and began to dance to the waltz. Aaeru was quiet, following Neviril's lead, finding it hard to keep up with the girl. She misstepped and her foot stepped on Neviril's.

"Sorry!" she apologized.

"It's okay. I did that to father a lot. He made funny faces." Neviril's smile gave way to a giggle and Aaeru couldn't help but giggle back.

Slowly Aaeru began to relax and not step on Neviril's feet so much. She was still very hesitant about dancing. She didn't understand what made it so great, but Neviril was smiling at her and laughing. She liked that. Maybe she could learn to like it too.

"Class is over, girls. It's time to line up and return to class," called the teacher as she switched off the CD player.

Neviril let go of Aaeru's hands and headed for the door, lining up behind Yun. Aaeru watched her go. She didn't care for dancing, but she didn't quite hate it either. She wanted to continue dancing with Neviril.

"Aaeru, please come line up with your classmates. I'm surprised you weren't first in line."

"Coming!"

She rushed over to the line and stood behind Limone. The teacher was right. She didn't like dancing. But she had danced with Neviril, and it wasn't so bad. Neviril made dancing not so bad. Maybe she could learn to like dancing if Neviril danced with her.

"I'll see you next week!"

Aaeru was lost in thought as her class walked down the hallway back to the kindergarten classroom. She'd confused herself. Now she wasn't sure what to think.

"Hey, Aaeru, you should dance with me in the classroom!" called Floe.

"What? No way!"

Perhaps Aaeru couldn't figure it out for herself, but it would become clear to others. She liked dancing, but only if it was with Neviril. Someday, she'd learn.


	99. To Fix or Not to Fix

**To Fix or Not to Fix**

Her first encounter with Wapouri hadn't gone so well, though Morinas wouldn't have thought that. She had barely seen the older girl since the extra recess that one day. Now, the kindergarteners and second graders were on the playground at the same time yet again and she meant to be friends with the girl who also carried a toolkit.

"Wapouri, wanna play?" She grinned, thumbs in the belt loops of her overalls.

"I'm busy fixing this doll," answered Wapouri, not looking up.

Morinas frowned. She couldn't seem to get the older girl to talk to her. She contemplated taking her toolkit like she had the last time, but Wapouri had it close by. There was no way she could reach out and simply snatch it away. Instead, she took a seat across from Wapouri.

"Why are you fixing the doll?"

"Because it was broken. The arms came off and my friend wanted me to try and fix it."

"Is it hard?"

"Not really. I just need to reattach the screws and it'll be fixed."

Morinas propped one arm on her legs and then rested her head in her hand. "Is it hard to fix things? I always take them apart."

"It's hard sometimes, but it's fun. It makes people smile when you fix things for them."

"People usually get mad when I take things apart."

"That's because taking things apart usually mean you break them."

"I don't break them!" protested Morinas. "I just make one thing into lots of pieces."

Wapouri glanced at her and shook her head. "That still means you broke it. It can't be used if you take it apart."

"Huh…"

"Have you ever tried fixing something?"

"The teacher made me fix Floe's doll once…"

"Did you ever fix something because you wanted to?"

"Well…" Morinas thought really hard. She couldn't remember a time that she'd put something back together and hadn't been told to do so because she'd taken it apart in the first place. "No."

"Maybe you should try it."

"But it's not very fun."

Wapouri held out a toy car that was missing its wheels. In her other hand were the wheels. "Can you fix the car? You just have to add the wheels back on it."

Morinas looked unconvinced. "This is supposed to be fun?"

"Try it."

Looking from the car to Wapouri, Morinas still wasn't very convinced. She sighed, but began looking closely at the car, figuring out how she could reattach the wheels. She pulled her toolkit from her overalls and set to work.

Eventually, she held up the car, testing the spin of each wheel. She grinned as each wheel stayed in place, not flying off. She held out the car to Wapouri. "Here you go! I fixed it!"

"Thanks." Wapouri smiled at her. "Thanks for fixing my car."

"It was yours? Why didn't you fix it?"

"I wanted to fix my friends' toys first. I was going to fix my car after that."

Morinas smiled back. It did feel kind of good to fix a toy. It made no difference that it was Wapouri's. No one was mad at her because she had taken something apart. Instead, she got a smile from Wapouri. She grinned. "I'll fix any of your toys if you want me to!"


	100. What I've Learned So Far

**Being the 100th drabble, I had to do something a bit special for this one. There are definitely more than 100 drabbles though so this isn't the last. This is one of those series that can easily be added to at any time.**

**What I've Learned So Far**

"Aaeru, come on. We need to do your homework!" called her grandpa.

A few minutes later, Aaeru raced through the front door, breathless. She kicked off her sandals. "Do I have to, grandpa?"

"Yes, you do. It won't take long. Your teacher just wants to see what you've learned."

"So why do I have to do it? Can't I just tell her?"

Her grandpa chuckled. "You are. You're going to tell me and I'll write it down for you. Then you'll take it to your teacher tomorrow."

Aaeru climbed up into a chair and rested her head in her hands. Her grandpa sat down next to her, placing a piece of paper and a pencil in front of him. "All right Aaeru. Tell me what you've learned this year."

A lot of things ran through Aaeru's head as she thought about the year so far. "Well, I learned how to write my name. And I can sing my ABC's." She watched as her grandpa wrote what she said on the paper. "I made new friends too. And I learned that Floe is really strange."

Her grandpa couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't think we'll write that one down."

"Why not?"

"Because your teacher wants things you learned at school."

"But I did learn that at school!" protested Aaeru.

"Let's write down things you learned from your teacher, okay?"

"Fine. Uhhh…. I learned my colors. That I love wearing my orange shirt. I don't know what else, grandpa."

"Did you make any good friends this year?"

"You said my teacher had to teach me it."

"Well, we can write this down. Did you make any good friends so far?"

"Uhhh… hmm… Neviril is a good friend."

"That's right. You had her over to play, didn't you?"

"Uh huh. Can I have her over again soon? I want to play mudballs again!" Aaeru put on her best puppy dog look, which made her grandpa laugh.

"We'll see. Now, is there anything else you want to add to your paper?" He then reread what she'd told him and he'd written for her, pointing to each of the words as he read them.

"Umm…I don't think so. Are we done yet? I wanna go play some more."

"Well, if you don't have anything else to add, then I think we're done. Why don't you write your name on your paper?" He passed the pencil to her.

Aaeru picked up the pencil and carefully wrote her name at the top of the paper. "Done!"

"Now go put it in your book bag. We wouldn't want to forget it tomorrow."

Climbing down from the table, Aaeru took the paper to her book bag, which was placed in a spot near the front door. She unzipped the main pocket and pulled out her navy folder, the one the teacher had the students use to put important papers in. She slid the paper inside and then placed it back in her bag. Tomorrow, she'd share what she had learned with the rest of her classmates. She'd learned a great deal so far, and the year wasn't even over yet.


	101. School Computers are Boring

**This particular one was done sometime in the beginning of the school year and my students were doing benchmark testing. I had some time while observing them, so I pondered this idea and wrote it down.**

**School Computers are Boring**

The new piece of equipment was quite appealing to Floe. The teacher had gotten a large box the previous afternoon with a large image of a computer on the front. Floe knew that a computer was a lot of fun to play on. Her family had a computer at home, but she wasn't allowed to touch it after the last time she had played on it. She didn't understand why it was bad that she had made a large blue screen appear. It really was a pretty blue. However, her mother had said she wouldn't be allowed on the computer anymore.

The other girls were curious too as they crowded around the table near the teacher's desk. They were just as interested as Floe, if not more. The girls whispered amongst themselves, wondering what the teacher would use it for. It wasn't long before the teacher redirected their attention to the morning activities. Floe looked back at the computer as she headed for the circle rug. She wanted to play on it. She had to convince the teacher, somehow.

"Girls, we have a new computer. I see that all of you were very interested in it this morning. We're going to use it for some of our activities, but we need to go over some computer rules first," explained the teacher.

Floe groaned. Rules. Rules were stupid. Playing on the computer as she wanted was going to be harder than she thought. She placed her chin in her hands as she half heartedly listened. She learned that there was no playing on it without permission. You couldn't do what you wanted, only what the teacher said. You always had to follow the teacher's directions. You wouldn't get to just play games either. Boring! She raised her hand.

"Yes, Floe?"

"Can we play on it today?"

"We'll see, Floe. If we have time during our activities I may call some of you over to explore it with me."

It wasn't until afternoon that the teacher found time. Floe was one of the first girls to wake up from her nap. She tossed and turned on her mat, unable to fall back asleep. The teacher noticed her restlessness and knelt beside her. "Put your mat and things away, Floe. Then you and I can work on the computer."

She didn't have to tell Floe twice. Away went the mat, blanket, and pillow. Floe quickly walked over to the computer and tapped her foot impatiently. The teacher pulled a second chair over, and the two of them sat down. Floe quickly reached for the mouse, but the teacher stopped her.

"Slow down, Floe. How much do you know about the computer?"

"Lots. I used to play on it at home all the time, but then mommy told me I couldn't any. She didn't like the blue screen I made appear the last time, but I told her it was really pretty. Someone had to come fix the computer after that," she stated matter-of-factly. She didn't see the look on the teacher's face as she finished her explanation.

The teacher took control of the mouse. "Well, let's try some typing, okay?" A program opened on the computer, and a big line started blinking. "Let's try typing your name. Can you help me?"

Floe's fingers hovered over the keyboard. She knew how to find the letters of her name. She quickly found them and then decided to type in some other letters really quickly before the teacher could stop her.

The teacher sighed. "Floe, that's not the direction I gave you. You were only to type your name. Let's try this again." The teacher typed in something else. Let's put in your age. How old are you?"

"Five."

"Let's find the five on the keyboard then."

Floe did as she was told. She was quickly growing bored. When she got bored, she started trying to find ways to amuse herself. "Are you old, teacher? Like, reaaaalllly old?"

"No, Floe. I'm not old."

"Are you suuurree?" Again, she drew out the pronunciation.

"I think we're doing for today Floe. It's time to get the other students up from their naps." The teacher took control of the mouse and turned off the computer. Floe looked at the black screen. The teacher's computer was boring. She would have to find another way.


	102. Computer? What's That?

**Computer? What's That?**

Aaeru looked up from her block tower and over at the computer center. Rodoreamon and Mamiina sat with the teacher, working on a game. Aaeru hadn't been over to the computer yet. She didn't really know what it was. She'd never seen one before. Grandpa didn't have a computer at home.

"Aaeru?" called the teacher. "Come work with me please."

Slowly, Aaeru put the block down and rose to her feet. She wasn't sure about the computer, but she walked over anyway. The teacher patted the chair next to her and Aaeru sat down. She looked at the pieces. The round thing that Floe had called a mouse was next to something that looked like a long box. Then there was the big box with the pictures on it. She clenched and unclenched her hands in her lap.

"Aaeru, have you ever worked with a computer before?"

Aaeru shook her head. "No," she whispered softly.

The teacher began to explain the parts of the computer to her. She learned about the mouse and the keyboard and the monitor. She saw how moving the mouse made an arrow move on the screen. She saw how using the keyboard to type in letters made the letters appear on the screen. It didn't seem too bad. Until…

"Let's try playing a game with letters," suggested the teacher. A new image popped up on the screen. "We'll see what you know about finding the letter A. A is in your name and I know you can recognize it easily."

Aaeru nodded. A was easy to find. It was the first two letters in her name. Big A and little A. The teacher explained how she would use the mouse to click the boxes that had the letter A in them. She reached for the mouse, which felt really big in her hand. The teacher placed her hand over Aaeru's and guided her through the first part of the game. They clicked the first A that appeared on the screen.

"That's how we do it, Aaeru. Very good. Now, you try it on your own."

The mouse swerved across the screen, but Aaeru couldn't get it to do what she wanted. She had a choice of three letters in boxes. She saw the A, but her mouse wouldn't cooperate and she clicked the B instead. The game made a bad noise. "I didn't want it to do that!" she exclaimed.

"Try again, Aaeru," encouraged the teacher.

Once again she guided the mouse across the screen. It listened as well as the mice in grandpa's shed. Again, she clicked the wrong letter and the game made the same sound. "It's not doing what I want it to!" she protested.

"One more time and then we'll see what happens."

Aaeru didn't know what good it would do, but she tried again anyway. This time, she clicked the A on her first try. She grinned as the game made a happy sound. "I did it!"

"Good job, Aaeru. Would you like to try it again?"

Now that she had more confidence, she moved the mouse much more easily. _Click, click, click. A, A, A. _The computer wasn't so bad when it did what she wanted it to do. Before she knew it, the teacher had laid her hand on top of hers.

"All right, Aaeru. That will be all for today. You can go play with your blocks again."

"Okay!"

Her tower was just as she'd left it in the block center. She picked up right where she left off. She heard the teacher call Dominura to the computer. A computer was okay. It just wasn't very fun. Now that she thought about it, she didn't like sitting still all the time at the computer. It was just like working at her table spot with the pencil and paper. Aaeru placed the last small block at the top of her tower. She'd rather play outside any day.


	103. Book Fair Worries

**This drabble is quite old...I wrote it during the school bookfair in the fall, which I believe was in October. I felt quite inspired. Eventually I need to write some more drabbles for this series. I'm lucky that I still have quite a few of the ideas saved from my students this year. Many are holiday ones, but I think they'll go over well :)  
**

**Book Fair Worries**

Aaeru looked around at the book fair. Her teacher had explained to the class that a book fair was a place you could buy books to read. Aaeru had never been to one before, but she'd given the paper about it to her grandpa all the same. Her grandpa had found some money she could use to buy a book and tucked it inside a velvet coin purse that day.

Holding the purse, Aaeru was amazed at all the books at the book fair. Her teacher pointed her in the direction of the books for students her age. She looked at the covers, but none of them interested her. She didn't want to read about princesses and tea parties. That was stupid. She also didn't want to read about butterflies and kittens either.

She wasn't one to read books and she didn't even want to buy anything. Her grandpa had wanted her to find a book to read to her though. She didn't want to let him down. As she looked over the shelves once more, her eyes fell on a book that was on the highest shelf. It had a picture of a Simoun on it with a Sibylla pilot standing beside it. She stood on tiptoe, but could not reach the book.

"Aaeru, would you like to look at the book?" asked the teacher as she walked past.

"Yeah. I can't reach it."

The teacher took it from the shelf with ease and handed it to her. "Here you go. If you want to buy it, come to me and we'll make sure you have enough money for it."

Aaeru nodded and then plopped onto the floor, opening the book to the first page. She flipped through the pages and saw the pilot from the front with another girl. They were creating those light trails in the sky and helping people in trouble. She wanted this book. It wasn't like the other books. Happily she walked over to the teacher. "I wanna buy it," she stated.

"Let's see how much money you have," replied the teacher as she took the coin purse. She quickly looked inside, and knew that Aaeru didn't have enough money for the book. She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry, Aaeru, but you don't have enough to buy this book. You'll have to find another one instead."

Her smile faded with those words. "But I want this book. I don't want a different book."

"I'm sorry, but you don't have enough. We'll have to put it back on the shelf." The teacher took the book and walked over to the original location. She placed the book up high once more. Aaeru felt like crying as she saw the book in front of her. She really wanted to buy it, but the teacher said she didn't have enough money. She thought her grandpa had given her a lot of money, but it wasn't enough.

Looking down at the floor, she didn't know what to do. Her grandpa wanted her to buy a book. She wanted a book, but couldn't get it because it was too expensive. Her teacher wanted her to find another book. It just wasn't fair. She reached for a book about a tree. She didn't care what book she got now. It wasn't the Simoun book.


	104. A Present for You

**A Present for You**

Knowing that it was time for the book fair that day made Neviril very happy. Her father had always read books to her and now that he was away sometimes on trips, he had her nurse maid read to her. He had given her a lot of money so that she could buy more books for the shelves in her room.

As she walked around with Paraietta, she looked for books that were interesting to her. She looked at one with a picture of a baby doll on the front. She picked it off the shelf and flipped through it, deciding it would be a book she would buy. She walked on, leaving Paraietta to gaze at the books about rescue dogs. She found Aaeru standing in front of one of the shelves.

"Aaeru, did you find a book yet?" asked Neviril, smiling.

Aaeru turned around, and Neviril noticed the sad look on her face. "Yes," she replied. She looked back up at the top of the shelf.

"Then why are you sad?"

"Cause I don't have enough money to buy it. Grandpa wants me to buy a book, but I don't want any other book."

Neviril had never heard of someone not having enough money for something they wanted. She had always been able to get the book she wanted, and no one ever told her she didn't have enough money. She watched as Aaeru walked away and sat down in the corner, waiting for the rest of the class to finish looking. The teacher had told them to sit there when they had finished their shopping. She turned and looked back at the bookshelves. She wanted to do something.

At the end of the day, her father came to pick her up. She pulled him off to the side and whispered something in his ear. At first, he made a face, but then he sighed and nodded. "If that is what you want…"

"I do, father."

"Let's go then. We can just make it in time if we hurry." He took Neviril by the hand and together they walked off. Neviril was pleased that her father was going to let her have her wish.

The next morning, Neviril carried a wrapped package with her into the classroom. She searched out Aaeru and found her in the block center. "Aaeru, I have something for you," she called, smiling.

Aaeru looked up from her block tower. She saw the big package in Neviril's hand. "For me?" she asked, uncertain.

"For you," replied Neviril, handing over the package.

Tearing open the package, Aaeru found the book she had wanted inside. She looked up at Neviril, shocked. "This is the book I wanted! I didn't have enough money for it."

"I know. I asked father if he'd let me buy it for you. I didn't like seeing you so sad."

Aaeru stood up and gave Neviril a hug. "Thanks. I can't wait to look at it with Grandpa." She ran off to stick the book in her cubby. Neviril smiled as she left. Now that was more like the Aaeru she knew.


	105. Cat and Mouse

**Cat and Mouse**

Neviril held her father's hand as he walked her to school that morning. It was the day the entire school would be celebrating Halloween and students were allowed to wear their costumes to school. After some thought, Neviril decided she would be a kitty, just like the gray cat that wandered around the manor grounds at home. She had black whiskers and a pink nose painted on her face and wore a gray dress with matching ears that one of the nursemaids had made especially for her. She felt nervous, like it was the first day of school all over again.

As soon as her father left her, she wished he would have stayed. She didn't think she wanted to be a kitty any more. The rest of her classmates were dressed up as well, but that didn't bother her. She'd never worn a costume before. She'd never celebrated Halloween either. Neviril didn't know what to expect.

"Boo!" called a voice behind her, hands touching her shoulders.

She jumped, and felt like crying. She didn't like being scared at all. She turned around, and saw Aaeru behind her. Aaeru was dressed as a mouse, wearing grey sweat pants and a grey long-sleeve shirt. She wore her hair down and had a pink nose painted on her face, but some of the paint had already been scratched off. "Hiya, Neviril." She noticed Neviril's face. "What's wrong? Aren't you having fun?"

"Not really," whispered Neviril. She looked down at the floor.

"Well you should be. Look! You're a cat and I'm a mouse. You can chase me around. I bet that would make you smile!" Aaeru grinned at her, one hand on her hip.

"But we aren't supposed to run in the classroom!" called Neviril.

It was already too late. Aaeru had taken off and she took off after her, mostly to try and stop Aaeru from getting in trouble. Aaeru looked back and giggled, happy to see that Neviril had followed behind her.

"Aaeru, stop!" she called. Aaeru didn't heed her calls, but zoomed around the circle rug instead.

"Girls! What's going on? You know we don't run in the classroom," interrupted the teacher.

Neviril turned around and jumped. Even the teacher was dressed in costume. She wore a long black dress and a pointy hat. "S-sorry," she apologized, her head hanging.

"We were playing chase. Cats chase mice," replied Aaeru matter-of-factly. "It's what happens at home. All the mice run around the shed and the neighbor's cat chases them. It's funny to watch!"

"That's not a good reason to break the classroom rules, Aaeru. You know better than that." The teacher looked at Neviril once more. "Are you all right?"

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"I thought I'd have some fun. You students aren't the only ones who like dressing in costume."

"I see…"

As soon as the teacher walked away to greet more of the students, Aaeru leaned over to Neviril. "We can keep playing chase on the playground. Cats always chase mice. Teacher should know that!" Aaeru nodded her head firmly, as if to emphasize this.


	106. Zombie Child

**Zombie Child**

"Floe! Hold still!" commanded her mother as she continued to put the facial makeup on Floe. She could not believe that her daughter had insisted on being a zombie, but it had been her fault for letting the girl catch some of the horror movie marathon that had been on television the other night. Now she paid for it with the half dead girl she was creating.

"Grrrr….grrrr…." Floe tried her best at taking on a zombie persona.

"Floe, I wish you would listen to me. I can't get your makeup right if you don't hold still!"

"That's not my fault!" retorted the kindergartener.

Her mother sighed. "All right, Floe. I think you're ready. Are you sure you want to wear this all day long?"

"Duh! I can't be a good zombie if I take it off before lunch!"

"Run and fetch your bookbag then. We'll be off as soon as you have it." She watched Floe run for her bedroom. "I only hope your teacher knows what she's getting into today…" She mumbled the last bit so that Floe wouldn't overhear.

It goes without saying that Floe received many looks from passersby as she and her mother walked to school that morning. Her mother caught sight of the whispers shared and the disapproving looks from the adults. Floe only paid attention to the looks from the children. She grinned when an older girl commented her "cool zombie outfit!"

"See mom? I told you it was cool!"

"Yes, I know, Floe."

It wasn't long before the school was in sight and more students, all in costumes, were seen. Floe's was one of the few horror costumes. Many of the girls opted for something cute. Floe's mother had tried to do the same with her own daughter, but of course, her daughter would have no part in it. She didn't want to be cute or fluffy. She wanted to be scary, and a witch costume wouldn't cut it.

"What have we here?" cackled a voice as they approached the classroom.

The new voice made Floe jump, but she grinned when she recognized the witch outside the door as her teacher. "I'm a zombie, Teacher! I'm gonna eat your brains!"

"Aren't you a cute zombie!" exclaimed the teacher as Floe's mother was shaking her head.

"Zombies aren't cute!" protested Floe, stamping her foot on the ground. "Zombies are scary and eat brains! Don't you know anything? Sheesh."

"My mistake, Floe. Why don't you go inside and put your things in your cubby? I'm sure your classmates would love to see your costume." The teacher gave an apologetic smile. "You have a very good costume though. Try not to scare them too badly."

As Floe skipped inside the classroom, her mother began apologizing. "I'm sorry for Floe's costume. She insisted on being a zombie after she saw some of the horror movie marathon."

The teacher nodded and smiled. "I'm sure Floe will make it an interesting day for her classmates. I'm sure they won't forget Halloween this year." The teacher was almost certain that she wouldn't forget Halloween this year either… She could just imagine how some of the events would go. It wasn't promising.


End file.
